TOMS RIVER – A unanimous vote by the Ocean County Library Commission to keep the JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up operating inside the Toms River branch through April 30 came after two very different public meetings. Ultimately, the ingredient that kept the café open was humans standing up for one another.
The decision followed an emotional reorganizational meeting that left the café’s future uncertain and a special meeting days later that drew a packed crowd demanding action. Between the two sessions, even library employees made their opposition visible, walking out of the building on a frigid day last week to protest the planned closure of the café.
Reorganizational Meeting Raises Closure Concerns
According to recordings reviewed of the Commission’s January 22 reorganizational meeting, library officials explained that the JBJ Soul Kitchen café had been operating under a temporary agreement and that public contracting law requires long-term use of public property to go through a formal request-for-proposals process.
Commission Chair Henry Mancini said the pop-up had already received multiple extensions and had reached the legal limit for remaining in place without competitive bidding. The pop-up was scheduled to close on January 31.
Mancini also cited an operational complication: the abrupt shutdown of the library’s longtime book supplier, which left pallets of unprocessed books inside the building and disrupted normal operations.
Toms River resident Philip Brilliant attended the meeting and said he disagreed with the legal interpretation. Brilliant argued that the JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up serves a documented public purpose and could legally remain in place through a lease approved by resolution, rather than through a competitive bidding process.
Brilliant wrote to the Ocean County Commissioners and cited state statute governing nonprofit use of public property and said the commission’s stated reasons for closure, including space needs and contracting rules, did not justify ending a program that provides meals and stability to people facing food insecurity. He called on the Ocean County Board of Commissioners to take immediate action to preserve the pop-up or secure a comparable downtown location.
Brilliant was just one of many who spoke out against the closure. He was joined by other community members, including those who identified as unhoused.
“I’m a part of the homeless population,” said Samantha Kidd. “I’m also one of the advocates for the homeless. Basically, I know you’re well aware of the backlash we’ve gotten from (Toms River) Mayor (Dan) Rodrick, and I’m sure this had something to do with it.”
Mancini interrupted and said he had never spoken with the local mayor and that the library commission operates independently.
“JBJ has literally saved my life,” Kidd continued. “They are our main resource. Not only do they feed us, they help us. They talk to us about resources.”
Chef Kevin, who oversees the pop-up kitchen, urged commissioners to consider what was happening just outside the library doors. “Across the street is the parking garage. Around the corner is the housing authority. People are sleeping in the woods,” he said. “Why are you taking away their only lifeline? Are books really more important than human life?”
Others called upon officials to act with compassion and allow JBJ’s mission to continue. “We need to start seeing them as equals and start treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve,” Maureen Glover said. “That we even need to be here today to decide if JBJ will be allowed to continue its beautiful and necessary ministry tells us more about who we are.”
“At a time when we are banning books, perhaps to erase some unpleasant parts of our history, it feels like now we are going to start banning people, people who may not look like us or dress like us or groom like us, ” she continued.
When the reorganizational meeting ended, no extension was approved. The commission said it would form a committee to study future use of the space and consider issuing an RFP. The lease remained expired, leaving the café’s future unresolved.
Special Meeting Draws Overflow Crowd
Public reaction in the days that followed led to the special meeting on January 28, where the conference room where the meeting was held overflowed, with people standing outside in hallways hoping to convince the commission to change its course.
Mancini apologized for the small space, saying that the large hall named for his late father was filled with books. He and the other commissioners went into a brief closed session before the chair came out to read the resolution expanding the café’s opening until April 30th.
After the applause settled, public comment began. “I live very well on Green Island,” said a man named Peter. He said he visited the JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up for lunch and was struck by how guests were treated. He said he sat with two people who were homeless and described the staff as respectful and welcoming to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
A woman named Phyllis had on a purple shirt that resembled the ones worn by Ocean County National Organization of Women representatives who had come to advocate on behalf of those in need. “If you look at me, I don’t look homeless, I don’t smell homeless,” she said. “I will not have you give me that stigma.”
Phyllis praised the people from JBJ for opening their doors and said without the welcoming nature and people who pay it forward, she would be starving.
“From the very beginning, this Pop-Up was about responding to a real and growing need in downtown Toms River,” said Rob Wood, assistant general manager of JBJ Soul Kitchen. “The library staff, our partners and community members showed up and advocated for our guests. This extension is a direct result of that collective effort.”
According to figures provided by the organization, the pop-up has served more than 13,500 meals, with 78 percent going to guests in need. It has supported about 40 long-term unhoused individuals and distributed more than 1,275 hygiene kits. Partnerships facilitated more than 200 service referrals, resulting in housing placements and employment for several guests.
Library officials emphasized that the extension does not guarantee the café’s future beyond April. A committee has been formed to examine the long-term use of the space and determine whether it will be offered through a competitive bidding process.
Mancini said the commission must balance compassion with its legal and operational responsibilities. “Our charge is to run a library system,” he said. “But we also understand the human side of what is happening here.”
For those who spoke during both meetings, the issue was never about statutes or square footage.
Ocean County Commissioner Jennifier Bacchione serves as the liaison to the Ocean County Library. She referred to the library’s mission statement to connect people, build community and transform lives. “We are committed to serving the diverse community of Ocean County and aim to be the heart of the community,” she said. “So if this is what our community needs, we need to strive to take into consideration the quality of life for our community in downtown Toms River.”
For now, the JBJ Soul Kitchen Pop-Up remains open — the result of two meetings that turned a policy question into a public test of how far a community is willing to go to care for its own.
