March30,2016 –The B.E.A.T. Center (Bringing Everyone All Together) announced today the launch of a CrowdRise fundraising campaign entitled, THE BEAT CENTER OCEANFIRST MATCH CAMPAIGN – Bringing Everyone All Together to Fight Hunger. Individual and team incentives include a chance to have your name included in a logo at The B.E.A.T. Center as well as a digital copy sent to your home, and for the top donor of $10,000 or more—an invitation to attend a VIP reception with Jon Bon Jovi and partners at the B.E.A.T. Center Grand Opening in Toms River, N.J. Additional and local incentives will be announced on the CrowdRise page at https://www.crowdrise.com/beat-center-oceanfirst-match-campaign.
The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, Peoples Pantry (Inspire NJ), and Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation joined forces last April to form The B.E.A.T. Center. The B.E.A.T. Center is a community hub where families and individuals in need can access food, job training, and resources to end the cyclical causes of hunger in New Jersey. The “one-stop shop” will serve as a FoodBank satellite location that includes a food distribution center, commercial kitchen, culinary skills training program and community resource center, as well as the permanent home of Peoples Pantry and a second location of JBJ Soul Kitchen.
The B.E.A.T. Center partners left to right Carlos Rodriguez, FoodBank Executive Director, Patricia Donaghue, Peoples Pantry Executive Director, Jon Bon Jovi, JBJ Soul Foundation Chairman
Ocean County is New Jersey’s fastest growing county and was “ground zero” for Hurricane Sandy. According to FEMA, over 40,000 structures in the county were damaged or destroyed in the storm – 55% of the state’s total. The creation of The B.E.A.T. Center is in response to the reality that today, more than three years after the storm, there are thousands of families who are still struggling to regain housing, financial stability and to overcome food insecurity—and they are turning to local agencies in record numbers for assistance. The impact of this collaboration is projected to provide $5 million in support to families in need in its first year.
The CrowdRise Campaign will run from March 29th to April 26th for the Grand Prize, and will continue with incentives through the Grand Opening of the facility in May. For those who don’t reach the top goals, there are still plenty of local and global gift incentives throughout the campaign.
To join the campaign, and start fundraising, please visit: URL. https://www.crowdrise.com/beat-center-oceanfirst-match-campaign
*About the OceanFirst Foundation Match:
A generous grant from the OceanFirst Foundation is helping to make The B.E.A.T. Center a reality. OceanFirst will match dollar for dollar up to $100,000 and every dollar donated goes directly to The B.E.A.T. Center.
