JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up at Ocean County Library 

JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up Remains open from Aug 27 to January 30, 2026. Last Chance to Support Our Community During Critical Fall/Winter Months.

Toms River, NJ — August 25, 2025 — The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation announces that the JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up, located at 101 Washington Street inside the Ocean County Library, will remain open through January 30, 2026. We are hoping for another extension, but with limited institutional support, it doesn’t look promising. This might be the final extension.

This closure will come at the height of Code Blue season, when individuals without shelter struggle for warmth and survival. For now they can turn to JBJ Soul Kitchen as a resource to receive a hot meal during the day. Despite these challenges, we remain steadfast in our mission to serve our neighbors in need, providing meals, resources, and dignity to everyone who comes through our doors.

Since opening in February 2025, the Pop-Up has operated under the same model as our other community restaurants. JBJ Soul Kitchen is not a soup kitchen or a pay-what-you-want restaurant, but a place where guests enjoy healthy, chef-prepared meals for a suggested donation or by volunteering. Through our Pay It Forward program, paying customers can directly cover meals for those who volunteer for their meal. 

Unfortunately, the need is urgent and growing. To date, 69% of meals served at the Pop-Up have gone to guests experiencing food insecurity. With Code Blue alerts expected to rise this winter, we anticipate even greater demand. At JBJ Soul Kitchen, the mission doesn’t end when a guest leaves the table. Dining with us also connects individuals to vital community resources that help them build stability beyond a single meal. Because of this, the Pop-Up has been able to provide far more than food, making more than 60 housing referrals with several individuals placed in permanent housing. We are also linking guests to workforce development, sober living programs, and job placements. We have also distributed over 700 hygiene kits (including 50 female kits) and 80 Narcan kits to prevent overdoses.

Dorothea Bongiovi stated, “Too often, our guests — our neighbors — are reduced to labels. They get treated like statistics, like problems to be solved, rather than human beings with dignity and stories and dreams, we are here to help.”

“This is our last chance to show the community what is possible when people come together,” said Rob Wood, Assistant General Manager. “Every meal purchased and every Pay It Forward contribution helps us continue to serve during the coldest, most difficult months of the year.”

The JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up invites the public to dine with us now. Whether enjoying a three-course meal or Paying It Forward for a neighbor in need, your support makes a direct and immediate impact. JBJ Soul Kitchen where all are treated with respect and dignity.

For now, our final day will be January 30, 2026. Until then, this is your opportunity to stand with your community, support our mission, and help keep our neighbors warm and nourished during peak Code Blue season.

CURRENT COMMUNITY IMPACT

Hours of Operation:
Tuesday – Friday: 10:00AM – 2:00PM
Saturday – Monday: Closed