Jon Bon Jovi to open anti-hunger facility in New Jersey

London: Rocker Jon Bon Jovi will open a one-stop facility in New Jersey that will help people get food stamps, health care, meals for at-risk children and senior citizens, as well as offering culinary-related job training.

It is called the B.E.A.T. Center, which stands for Bringing Everyone All Together and will open at Toms River later this year, reported Female First. It will also house a JBJ Soul Kitchen community restaurant, where diners pay a minimum USD 10 donation or receive a meal in exchange for voluntary work.

The 53-year-old rocker believes Ocean County suffered the worst damage from the 2012 storm but has not received a proportionate share of aid. "Ocean County was directly impacted by Hurricane Sandy; it was not a wealthy county to begin with.

"At one point or another, 45 percent of households that had kids needed emergency food relief services during the course of the last year. I know people who have been hungry. You'd be shocked to know these hardworking, middle-class people from the tri-state area who after the economic downturn couldn't afford to keep a consistent, nutritious meal on the table."

Jovi has teamed with the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, The Peoples Pantry and the David Tepper Charitable Foundation to provide USD 5 million in services to families in the facility's first year of operation.