On a silver horse he rides to the rescue of the homeless and hungry.
Jon Bon Jovi will not be backing down in his mission to feed the poor even after a mayor in his house state slammed the singer for turning a public library right into a “day shelter and soup kitchen.”
Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick bashed county commissioners for permitting Bon Jovi’s JBJ Soul Kitchen to function quickly as a pop-up on the Ocean County Library, telling the Shore Information Community its attracting homeless folks and disturbing residents.
“These people are being dropped by in our community by agencies pretending to be homeless advocates who get paid by the head to import homeless people into our town from all over the state and the East Coast,” Rodrick complained. “These agencies are making millions of dollars importing homeless. Their plan is not about compassion; it’s about people wanting to profit off the homeless issue.”
The pop-up café, which opened on Feb. 11, shares the mission of JBJ Soul Kitchen’s three different New Jersey places — permitting diners to pay it ahead and canopy the instructed $12 price for individuals who can’t afford their meal.
Patrons who can’t pay are in a position to volunteer on the eatery — which is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays by means of Fridays — in alternate for sandwiches, wraps, bowls and salads.
Bon Jovi and his spouse, Dorothea, who run the nonprofit restaurant chain, instructed The Publish they may proceed to advocate for these much less lucky — and their restaurant will stay there by means of Could.
“The JBJ Soul Foundation and JBJ Soul Kitchen are committed to ending homelessness through real solutions. We are not here to just move people around or force them into the shadows. Our Foundation has built nearly a thousand units of affordable and supportive housing,” they stated in a joint assertion on Friday.
“Through our JBJ Soul Kitchen, we connect people to resources and services. Whether they need employment, mental health support, or housing, we try to remove the barriers that are keeping them from thriving, not just surviving.”
The ability couple — who opened the primary JBJ Soul Kitchen in Pink Financial institution, NJ in 2011 — additionally clapped again at Rodrick’s funding claims.
“We are unsure where the mayor thinks millions of dollars are trading hands, but we are completely unaware of any such programs and receive no such funding,” they insisted.
“We invite anyone to the BEAT Center in Toms River or to the JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop Up to see what we are doing to end homelessness and hunger in our community.”
Rodrick claimed he has gotten quite a few complaints in regards to the growing variety of homeless males close to the township’s municipal parking storage and on the benches throughout from the library.
“They’ve completely ignored all of our complaints and concerns,” Rodrick stated of the county officers.
“Mothers shouldn’t have to walk through large gangs of intoxicated and mentally ill men with their children to borrow a book.”
