JBJ Soul Kitchen Doing What It Can for Nurses at St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark
On March 30, Brian Conway, director of dining for Rutgers University–Newark and head of JBJ Soul Kitchen operations at the university, received a request from Ingrid DiPasquale to see what Rutgers-University could do to help her sister Kirsten Roth. Roth is the emergency room nurse manager at St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark. According to DiPasquale, in addition to working long, arduous days on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, the nurses at St. Michael’s were skipping meals. DiPasquale’s plea to Conway was simple, “Since this is the [emergency room] that services Rutgers[-]Newark, I was wondering if you would be willing to donate food to these heroes without capes. If you’re not in service now due to the pandemic, I understand.”
In response, Conway reached out to Roth to introduce himself and share her sister’s request. He further stated, “During this trying time, we would like to help our community hospital in [any way] that we can. I have been in contact with Dorothea and Jon Bon Jovi who oversee the [Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, and they] have agreed that this is something that we would like to do. While our offer may not be able to fix all our challenges during this time[,] we hope that it can help alleviate some of the food issues the team may be having.” Accordingly, the foundation facilitated the delivery of 25 meals to Roth’s team and has committed to deliver 25-30 meals once per week for as long as possible.
JBJ Soul Kitchen and Jon Bon Jovi Foundation’s gesture toward the nurses of St. Michael’s is consistent with Rutgers-Newark’s other efforts to help curb food insecurity during the pandemic, Conway explained. Through its food service vendor, Gourmet Dining, Rutgers-Newark donates food to pantryRUN on the three days during the week it is open and gives meals-to-go to faculty, staff, and students who are on campus.
“If you can’t do what you do…do what you can!” stated Jon Bon Jovi in an Instagram post on March 19. The post also included a photo of the celebrity rock star washing dishes at JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, New Jersey, one of three locations for the nonprofit community restaurant. Through its restaurants, the Jon Bon Jovi Foundation focuses on serving those in need in the Red Bank and Toms River areas and at Rutgers University–Newark. JBJ Soul Kitchen’s menu does not list any prices because there is no charge for any of the meals. Instead, patrons may pay a suggested donation if they can afford to do so to subsidize the cost for those who cannot. Moreover, during non-COVID-19 times, diners may volunteer at the restaurant to barter for their meals.