Heart of the Shore
A podcast about life in Central New Jersey — energy help, community events, local resources, and the people making Monmouth County home.
Heart of the Shore
From energy bill help to hidden hiking trails, from community events to benefits you didn't know existed — we cover everything that makes Central NJ home. New episodes every week.
Episodes
EP17: Vet Your Contractor in 10 Minutes (Before You Sign Anything)
A calm, NJ-Shore-practical 10-minute checklist before you sign any contractor agreement: search by business (not just a person) on the NJ mylicense.com Business Search portal, match the registration number on every document, use milestone payments, and keep the 24-hour pause sentence ready. Need to post a job? Free at localjobs.advalorem.io.
EP16: How NJ Families Get Energy Help: A Plain-English Guide to LIHEAP, USF, and the LOH Directory
A plain-English guide to New Jersey's energy assistance programs: LIHEAP (federal heating help, closes June 30), the Universal Service Fund (state program open year-round with monthly bill credits of $20–$200), NJ SHARES for crisis shutoff situations, and the free LOH Directory at lovehumanity.charity/directory for Monmouth and Ocean County families.
EP15: How to Verify a NJ Contractor Before You Hire
Before you sign any contract on the Jersey Shore, run this checklist: HIC registration verification, insurance certificates, written contracts, and red flags to watch for. A homeowner-facing guide to New Jersey's Contractors' Business Registration Act and the official license verification portal.
EP14: How to Get Things Fixed: A Neighbor’s Guide to Local Government
A neighbor-to-neighbor guide to local government on the Jersey Shore: who handles what at the municipal, county, and state levels; how to describe a problem so it actually gets routed and fixed; and how federal community-development dollars (CDBG, HOME, ESG) translate into real help on the ground. Includes Monmouth County’s May 19 public hearing on the draft FY2026 Annual Action Plan.
EP13: How Community Development Works in Monmouth County
A plain-language guide to how federal, state, county, and municipal community development dollars become real help — housing rehab, public facilities, homelessness supports. We map how the money flows in Monmouth County (CDBG, HOME, ESG, HEARTH; ~$7.5M in federal grants), why NJ DCA Small Cities CDBG matters for non-entitlement towns, and how to plug in as a resident.
EP12: The NJ Data Center Boom and Your Electric Bill
AI data centers were the main driver of the 20% jump in NJ electric bills in 2025. We unpack the NJPP “Fool’s Gold” findings, the SR18 clean-power push, and three concrete things every household can do — inside the home, inside the bill, and inside the civic process.
EP11: Heat and High Water: A Family Climate-Ready Plan for the Jersey Shore
A simple, realistic family plan for two common local risks at the Shore: extreme heat and flooding/coastal storms — with practical steps, neighbor check-ins, and trustworthy starting points for local information.
EP10: Three Bids in Hours, Not Days: How LocalJobs Works for Jersey Shore Contractors
A practical walkthrough of LocalJobs — a Jersey Shore jobsite-services marketplace where local vendors compete to serve your job, and you pick the winner. Built for general contractors and site supervisors who don’t have time to chase three quotes, with an optional referral-credit donation that can support Love of Humanity’s local family-relief work.
EP09: Show Up: Volunteer Pathways in Monmouth County and Across NJ
From NJ 2-1-1's statewide volunteer database to United Way of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, Jersey Cares, Senior Corps, and disaster response networks like NJ VOAD, Red Cross, and FEMA CERT — a practical map of how New Jerseyans can show up for their neighbors, whether you have two hours a month or want to build a lifelong service habit.
EP08: Every Family Deserves Clean Air: Environmental Justice in NJ
NJ's landmark Environmental Justice Law, the January 2026 court victory that upheld it, 3,735 overburdened communities covering 5.4 million people, and what families in Monmouth County can do with tools like EJMAP to protect their neighborhoods.
EP07: Food on the Table, Even When the Weather Isn't
NJ Food Security meets Climate Resilience — the state's Strategic Plan, the $30M FEED NJ grants, Fulfill NJ's emergency distribution network, and what Monmouth County families can do right now to build food systems that survive extreme weather.
EP06: The People Showing Up for Monmouth County
Monmouth ACTS, Code Blue warming centers, Fulfill NJ, and Lunch Break Red Bank — the community organizations quietly holding families together through hunger, cold, and crisis. Who they serve, how they work, and how you can help.
EP05: Every Program That Helps Pay Your NJ Energy Bill
LIHEAP, USF, Lifeline, Weatherization, Comfort Partners, shutoff protections, and payment arrangements — every energy assistance program in New Jersey explained. Who qualifies, how to apply, and the June 30 deadline.
EP03: Free Money You're Not Claiming — NJ Benefits Most Families Miss
NJ FamilyCare, SNAP, Summer EBT, WIC, veteran benefits, free tax prep, and more — a full guide to the programs most New Jersey families don't know they qualify for. One screening tool, ten minutes, thousands of dollars.
EP02: 27 Things to Do in Monmouth County This Spring
From 70-million-year-old fossils at Big Brook Park to the Asbury Park Spring Disco, Sandy Hook's ancient lighthouse to Turkey Swamp camping — your complete guide to spring in Monmouth County.
EP01: Your JCP&L Bill Is Too High — Here's What NJ Will Pay For
LIHEAP, USF, Fresh Start, NJ SHARES, Lifeline, Weatherization — a complete walkthrough of every energy assistance program available to Monmouth County families, including income limits and how to apply.