TOMS RIVER, N.J. – The JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up, a community dining initiative founded by musician Jon Bon Jovi and his wife Dorothea, will close its doors at the Ocean County Library in downtown Toms River at the end of January, a year after opening.
The couple still operates the JBJ Soul Kitchen on Hooper Avenue in Toms River, where homeless and people in need can still show up for a free meal.
Since its launch in February 2025, the pop-up soup kitchen has served thousands of free meals and connected guests to housing, employment, and social services with the help of the township and county government and other agencies.
During that time, the Ocean County Library became an impromptu homeless shelter, eventually taking over a portion of the nearby parking garage.
According to the organization, more than 200 referrals were made to local service providers, with several guests finding permanent housing and jobs.
But the project also drew controversy soon after opening, as the kitchen became a gathering point for unhoused residents, and a homeless encampment formed outside the library. The situation sparked public debate over downtown safety and social services, prompting county and local officials to intervene and relocate those camping outside to housing programs and shelters.
While the county had previously renewed the temporary lease allowing JBJ Soul Kitchen to operate out of the library building, the nonprofit announced that the arrangement will not be extended beyond January. “With the Pop-Up closing at the end of January, we invite you to dine with us and support our neighbors while you still can,” the organization said in a statement.
The downtown pop-up was an extension of Bon Jovi’s larger JBJ Soul Kitchen initiative, which runs permanent pay-what-you-can restaurants in Red Bank and Toms River. Those locations, unlike the pop-up, are not affected by the closure.
JBJ Soul Kitchen said it will continue its mission through its other restaurants and community outreach programs, but no new downtown site has been announced.