Jon Bon Jovi’s Restaurant Feeds The Homeless - So Why Is This NJ Mayor Trying To Shut Him Down?!

Jon Bon Jovi is at odds with a mayor in New Jersey, all because he is trying to feed homeless people… Wait, what?!

In 2006, the local legend and his wife Dorothea Hurley launched the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation to help end hunger and homelessness. They opened the nonprofit restaurant JBJ Soul Kitchen in the Garden State as part of their mission. According to the website, the place offers meals for a suggested price of $12… but diners can pay for someone unable to afford a meal and volunteer their time instead. Man, what a sweet idea!

They began doing pop-ups in 2011, starting in Red Bank before expanding to Newark and Jersey City. The last two became permanent establishments, though. Per CBS News, the restaurant opened a temporary pop-up inside Tom River’s Ocean County Library in February and plans to close it in May. Since starting JBJ Soul Kitchen years ago, the website states they have served over 208,000 meals! Wow! That is absolutely amazing!

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So if Bon Jovi is helping so many people in need in New Jersey, why is the Toms River mayor trying to stop the new pop-up? Yeah, we are serious. Republican Mayor Daniel Rodrick has been opposed to the charity since day one. Why? He believes it’s attracting more homeless people in and out of the state to the area. He also alleged there has been an uptick in disorderly behavior.

Calling JBJ Soul Kitchen “a homeless shelter” and “a real safety concern,” NJ Advance Media reported the teacher said:

“If they’re going to turn this into a homeless shelter, hell, cut everybody a check and give them a Barnes and Noble gift card. I definitely want it gone. We certainly don’t think that the library is a good place. The issue was never Bon Jovi. It was [the] Ocean County Board of Commissioners who engaged with these nonprofits.”

What the f**k?!

Let us get this straight. A huge celebrity like Bon Jovi has used his time, resources, and platform to help feed the less fortunate in his home state, as well as work with “local organizations to provide additional resources, addressing needs beyond food security,” per the website. And this guy believes it is a bad thing? Seriously? How heartless and ignorant can one be to think this way?!

And that’s not all he had to say. Rodrick further complained to the Shore News Network with a conspiracy theory:

“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. 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.”

Sorry, what?! Paid to “import homeless people”? Where do these conspiracy theorists think all this money is coming from? Every time they can’t understand something, like protest or being charitable, they jump to saying everyone is getting paid. Like it’s the only answer that makes any sense to them.

This mayor may have his fans. But this is New Jersey. Where Bon Jovi is royalty! So yeah, there are definitely folks pushing back.

Ocean County Commissioner Robert Arace hit back at the mayor’s claims that there has been an increase in the alarming incidents since the pop-up started, saying:

“He’s saying that incidents have increased? We have data that they have not increased. It is not a soup kitchen.”

Dorothea and Bon Jovi also have responded to the gross comments from Rodrick, telling The New York Post that they remain dedicated to advocating for the less fortunate. Plus, their pop-up restaurant will remain open through May — no matter what the mayor thinks:

“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. 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.”

Hell yes! They also fired back at his funding accusations, saying:

“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. 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.”

Hopefully, this statement stops Rodrick from spewing such gross remarks — though something tells us he won’t back down over the matter. Sigh. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments below!

[Image via TODAY/YouTube , JBJ Soul Kitchen/Instagram]