JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, New Jersey, which is owned by singer Jon Bon Jovi, has provided 71 free meals to furloughed federal employees and their families. On Monday, workers were served soups and entrees.

The restaurant chose to launch the program on Monday since it was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The civil rights activist once famously said, “Why should there be hunger and deprivation in any land, in any city, at any table, when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all mankind with the basic necessities of life? There is no deficit in human resources. The deficit is in human will.”

The initiative is the result of a partnership with Gov. Phil Murphy's organization, the Phil and Tammy Murphy Family Foundation. Bon Jovi's wife, Dorothea Bongiovi, told The Star-Ledger of Newark that she would like families to check out the restaurant, which also served lunch to federal employees on Wednesday.

JBJ Soul Kitchen, which opened in 2011, allows customers to donate money or pay for meals since they serve both paying and in-need customers. The restaurant has two locations, on in Red Bank and in Toms River on Hooper Avenue.

JBJ Soul Kitchen hopes to tackle the problem of food insecurity that many families face during the shutdown. Tammy Murphy, the wife of the governor, made a donation from their foundation to get the program started.

“In line with our mission, Federal workers are encouraged to join us for a delicious meal and to learn about additional support and resources available in our community,” JBJ Soul Kitchen wrote on Facebook.

The free lunches for furloughed workers will continue for the duration of the shutdown. According to Murphy, there are too many families in the state struggling to make ends meet since they live paycheck to paycheck. The Murphy Family Foundation is committed to helping hard-working federal employees, who have now been out of work for nearly a month. The organization believes that all New Jersey residents should help their neighbors during this difficult time.

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JBJ Soul Kitchen, a non-profit community restaurant, also serves as a warming center for the homeless when temperatures drop below freezing. The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, founded in 2006, works to end the cycle of hunger, poverty and homelessness by establishing partnerships, creating programs and funding pioneering community benefit organizations. The organization strives to extend the human potential of those affected by hunger, poverty and homelessness by providing assistance to establish programs that afford food and inexpensive housing while offering support to social services and job training programs.

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