Through their Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, famous rocker Jon Bon Jovi, together with his wife Dorothea, have launched the JBJ Soul Kitchen Food Bank. This charity aims to Make a Marc on the world by meeting the needs of hungry and food-insecure people across Long Island’s East End. The food bank started distributing food in May 2020.
The Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated the already dire situation of many of the impoverished. When Dorothea and Jon learned that many East End food pantries were having trouble meeting demand, the socially conscious couple immediately swung into action. “The pandemic has strained food distribution networks around the country,” Jon Bon Jovi notes. “After hearing from organizations on the ground about its local impact, the need for a food bank on the East End became clear to us.” His wife observes that there may be a popular misperception about need in the area they are serving. “When most people think about the towns of the East End, they don’t necessarily think about hunger but, for many, it is a reality,” Dorothea points out.
The JBJ Soul Kitchen Food Bank is not a food pantry but an organization that acquires and stores food in bulk quantities that it distributes to food pantries. It both purchases food and receives charitable food donations. It is the goal of the JBJ Soul Kitchen Food Bank to assist in feeding 5,000 people per month through the food pantries with which it works. Need will be reevaluated at the end of this summer. There are plans to have pre-made Soul Kitchen meals for people who have no access to cooking equipment such as the homeless. We at Marc Skid honor the JBJ Soul Kitchen Food Bank for helping Feed the World – or, at least, a part of it. To find out more about this charity, email foodbank@jbjsouldfoundation.org or https://jbjsoulkitchen.org/ or https://jbjsf.org/2020/05/11/jbjskfood-bank/