Rock legend Jon Bon Jovi has a new soup kitchen in Toms River, New Jersey that he set up to feed the homeless.
That might sound noble to some, but according to multiple reports Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick is not happy about it.
According to Shore News Network, Rodrick is “accusing county officials of turning the township into a hub for homeless services.”
The site said that Rodrick claims the kitchen “endangers public safety and burdens local resources.” Shore News Network said Rodrick claimed it would make Toms River “the ultimate summer tourism destination for homeless across the region, including New York, Philadelphia, and North Jersey.”
The site said that JBJ Soul Kitchen, operated by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, recently open a pop-up spot inside the Ocean County Library in downtown Toms River.
It has a unique method of operation.
The site reported that folks who can’t pay for their meal, can “pay-it-forward” and volunteer time in exchange for food.
“Jon Bon Jovi already operates a JBJ Soul Kitchen in Toms River, and we appreciate him for it, but why is he now working with county officials to bring homeless from all over the state to our downtown area?” Rodrick said per Shore News Network. “Why can’t he feed them at his main restaurant just a few miles away? Does he not want them there? Or better yet, take them all to his Middletown mansion and drop them off there?”
The site said Rodrick showed data that showed 58 calls for police service and 51 EMS calls to the area between Jan. 1 and March 1 of this year.
“I don’t recommend families come to the Toms River Library until this is sorted out, it’s not safe,” Rodrick said per the site. “We are getting calls from the police, not only here, but at the warming shelter operated by the county, the mall, and throughout town.”
Shore News Network said that Rodrick “has threated legal action to block the proposed expansion of homeless services in the township.”
“The (Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation) and JBJ Soul Kitchen are committed to ending homelessness through real solutions,” the foundation said in a statement. “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.
“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 homeless and hunger in our community.”
The site said Bon Jovi said he plans to run the pop-up kitchen until May.
“We are taking care of our own homeless people,” Rodrick said. “We don’t need to be taking care of the entire state’s homeless population, and we won’t. Our residents don’t want this here either.”
