It has been proven that Jon Bon Jovi is more than just a successful pop star. He founded the JBJ Soul Kitchen Foundation, which is set to launch its third community restaurant soon.
Individuals who need help to afford a hot, wholesome meal can visit our restaurant, where they will get unprejudiced service. On the New Jersey campus of Rutgers University, a third restaurant is set to open. Bon Jovi and his spouse, Dorothea Hurley, discussed their engagement in JBJ Soul Kitchen and what inspired them to start it.
“Hunger doesn’t look like what your mind’s eye might imagine,” Hurley told CBS Sunday Morning host Tracy Smith. “It’s the people at your church. It’s the kids that go to school with your kids. And I think that was eye-opening for a lot of the community here that said, ‘Oh, there are no homeless people here.'”
It is not expected to discuss homelessness since it is a societal taboo. People who are homeless or impoverished may not ask for assistance or access the resources they require as a result of this stigmatization.
The two launched the first JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 2011 to feed the underprivileged residents of the neighborhood. Visitors can pay what they can afford to miss at JBJ Soul Kitchen, as no pricing is listed on the menu. Furthermore, those with the means may also choose to cover the cost of other people’s meals. Those who are unable to pay at all are invited to volunteer. Most of the food is donated, and almost all the work is completed by volunteers.
The newest project of Bon Jovi and his wife is aimed at students of Rutgers University who are having a hard time paying for nutritious food. Bon Jovi said: “We all think it’s a rite of passage to study hard and eat ramen noodles. How about if it’s the only thing you can afford?”
The duo wants to keep opening more JBJ Soul Kitchens as long as they need them; therefore, they intend to continue. While it is undoubtedly quite different from the performing life that Bon Jovi is accustomed to, a distinct sense of fulfillment goes along with it. “It can obviously never compare to performing or writing songs,” the rockstar said. “But what it does do is it gives you the same sense of fulfillment, I think, when I leave here at night and you see the lives you touch. I have left here, you know, after a long night of volunteering and said, ‘That makes you feel the same kind of good.’ You know? And that’s what I say, the way to feel good is to do good, you know? Find your good and do it.”
(Photos right to the original owner)