Fighting Hunger in Ocean County

There is no doubt that the effects of Hurricane Sandy still linger for the residents of Toms River and Ocean County. Many families have burned through their savings to rebuild their lives after the storm. Now three years after the hurricane has passed, so many people are still hungry in our own backyards. Looking at Toms River from the outside, one might not think that there's a need for food pantries. But the need is great, and luckily there are people willing to help.

We had a wonderful presentation by three women dedicated to the cause. Linda Keenan from the FoodBank of Ocean County, Patricia Donahue from the People's Pantry and Dorothea Bon Jovi from the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation have partnered together to create the B.E.A.T. Center (Bringing Everyone All Together). This 12,000 square foot facility will be located in the Silverton section of Toms River and aims to feed and educate many residents of Ocean County.  It is truly the meeting of three wonderful organizations to create a sustainable help for those in need. The impact to our township and county will be enormous.

The Central Ocean Rotary Club of Toms River is donating $1,000 to the launch of the facility plus will help with volunteers whenever possible. We have supported the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties for many years and we couldn't be more thrilled to support this initiative.

Pictured below sitting from left to right is Dorothea Bon Jovi, Patricia Donahue and Linda Keenan. We thank them so much for telling us everything about the new project and will be standing behind them as it gets going.