This is such a cool concept and I’m a huge fan of volunteerism. It creates hope, motivation, and just a great overall feeling for everyone involved while making the world a better place for yourself and others.

 

And today’s episode of Motivational Monday is about just that, a concept in volunteerism that totally Rocks!

Legendary rocker Jon Bon Jovi started a restaurant named “The Soul Kitchen”.

The concept is brilliant and provides an environment that perpetuates empowerment, growth, dignity, and personal pride while serving the community and expanding the awareness of the simple truth that people don’t really need or want a hand out, they need and want a hand up!

And the JBJ Soul Kitchen provides just that, it’s not a hand out, it’s a hand UP that creates hope!

There are no prices on the menus, there’s no discrimination, you might be seated with people you don’t know (new friends in the making) and you pay what you can.

If you can afford to pay for your meal, and maybe leave a little extra, you leave what you can and you’re helping another person who cannot pay get a good nutritious healthy meal.

If you cannot afford to pay with money, you volunteer your time. People wash dishes, clean the place up, bus tables, fill in as wait staff, prep food under the supervision of the chef, tend to the gardens, and anything else the restaurant needs to keep operating and all of them do it with a motivational gratitude that is life changing for themselves and many others.

Everyone is welcome and it levels the playing field by removing judgement. At the JBJ Soul Kitchen, it’s just a bunch of people sharing a meal together while giving back to the community through producing value to each other and to their community.

Creating that concept and bringing it all together with motivation is pretty amazing but it’s the after math that’s really inspiring.

When you can give a person who is missing hope, a sense of security, direction, and pride in themselves all of those things just from serving them a simple meal, that leaves with them in their hearts.

Those people leave the restaurant with new seeds of hope, inspiration, and a new sense of motivation planted in their mindset about who they are what’s possible for them.

They’re empowered to think differently about themselves and they have a shift in mentality. They start to think of themselves as a provider of service instead of a victim of circumstance and start to project their future based on those beliefs and a motivational energy to perpetuate that empowerment.

The JBJ Soul Kitchen is like a perpetual hope machine that serves up a plate full of hope with class and dignity.

And who doesn’t love a plate full of hope? As they say in their slogan:

“Hope is Delicious!”

 

So if you’re ever in New Jersey, make it a point to stop in and grab a bite to eat and celebrate this amazing idea, incredible man, and all the great people who participate in the JBJ Soul Kitchen because you never know who you’re going to make an impact on and what life you might change! (And I hear the food is great too)