Jon Bon Jovi's restaurant targeted by town mayor over homeless people
Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick accused the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen of attracting homeless people to a downtown library.
TOMS RIVER – A New Jersey mayor accused singer Jon Bon Jovi's community restaurant and local county commissioners of turning a library into a "day shelter and soup kitchen."
Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick took aim at commissioners and nonprofits, including the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, out of concern about a growing number of homeless men drawn to the Ocean County Library.
The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen community restaurant opened in February inside the library's Toms River branch. The site offers meals for a suggested price of $12, and diners can pay it forward for those who are unable to pay. For those without enough money to afford a meal, volunteering options are available.
Rodrick said he has met with county officials in an attempt to find a solution, but the county has done nothing as the number of homeless people in the area has grown. He said parents should take their children to other branches of the county library instead.
"They've completely ignored all of our complaints and concerns," the mayor said about some of the commissioners. "Mothers shouldn't have to walk through large gangs of intoxicated and mentally ill men with their children to borrow a book."
In a statement released to news outlets, the nonprofit said, "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."
Ocean County Commissioner Jennifer Bacchione said she's not heard any such complaints about the Soul Kitchen. And those who eat the restaurant say it's been a lifeline.
The restaurant is not a 'soup kitchen,' commissioner says
Bacchione, who serves as liaison to Ocean County's Library Commission, shot back at accusations that the library is housing a "soup kitchen."
The pop-up "does not give away food for free," she noted, adding that customers "have to clean up and do something."
Commissioners, meanwhile, have been in talks with the sheriff's department to place officers at the Toms River and Lakewood branches of the library. "It's a sad situation and we have to come up with a solution," Bacchione said of those experiencing homelessness. "In the meantime, it’s a public library, and we are keeping the people safe."
She said the Soul Kitchen was not put into the library to "serve the homeless," but instead to offer another food option in the downtown for county and library workers and those at the nearby Ocean County Courthouse, along with kids who attend Toms River High School South.
She noted that the temporary lease with the Soul Kitchen expires in May, and the commissioners have not decided yet whether the pop-up will continue.