Soul Kitchen and Sayreville Police Collaboration by Ben

Soul Kitchen and Sayreville Police Collaboration by Ben - January 2024 Scholarship Essay

I have collaborated with the Sayreville (NJ) Police and The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen to establish a program aimed at providing meals for the needy and hard-to-reach individuals. Engaging with and conversing with members of the affected community has been particularly impactful.

At the community level, the initiative to deliver nutritious, hot meals has played a crucial role in fostering a sense of unity. Observing the positive effects of a warm meal on individuals grappling with food insecurity emphasizes the immediate and essential changes such projects can bring about. The bonds formed over shared meals extend beyond the dining table, creating a support network that goes beyond the immediate act of providing sustenance.
On a personal level, this experience has been enlightening. It goes beyond the simple act of food donation; it involves understanding the stories, challenges, and resilience of the individuals we aim to support. This engagement has cultivated empathy, gratitude, and a heightened awareness of the challenges within the community where I grew up, a community my grandfather served as a police officer. It has instilled in me a deep sense of responsibility to actively contribute to positive change.
The extracurricular commitment to feeding the needy has not only had a tangible impact on those in Sayreville who cannot get to a shelter or soup kitchen but has also shaped me into a more compassionate and socially conscious individual.