Heart of the Shore is a podcast about life in Central New Jersey — energy assistance, community events, local resources, hidden gems, and the people making Monmouth County home. AI-produced by Love of Humanity, Inc. and Val Kleyman. All voices are AI-generated.
EP29: How Shore Families Build a Charitable Legacy
· 17:06
A warm, practical conversation about how Monmouth County families can build a charitable legacy through donor-advised funds, private foundations, bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, and shared family governance. We feature the Community Foundation of New Jersey’s legacy-giving and donor-advised fund guidance, plus a five-step starting point for families who want their philanthropy to strengthen local institutions and traditions. Educational content only; not legal, tax, investment, or estate-planning advice. Produced by Love of Humanity, Inc. This episode is AI-gener
EP28: Monmouth County Historical Association: A Living Legacy
· 14:41
Established in 1898, the Monmouth County Historical Association preserves Monmouth County history through its Freehold museum, historic house network, archives, exhibitions, and education programs. This episode explores the current Storm of Revolution: Monmouth at War exhibit and the ways families can support local history through membership, restoration, volunteering, education, and planned giving. Produced by Love of Humanity, Inc. This episode is AI-generated content.
EP27: Monmouth Establishments to Know: Schools + Arts + Dining + Realtors
· 8:15
Weekly Monmouth Establishments to Know roundup. Four picks across four different corners of Monmouth life: Christian Brothers Academy Lincroft (private school, Fall 2026 admissions dates), the Monmouth Museum (new Dunellen satellite via $500K NJEDA A.R.T. grant, current Native Americans of NJ exhibition), Salt Creek Grille Rumson (Navesink dining since 1998), and Resources Real Estate (Rumson-based independent brokerage). An editorial roundup from Love of Humanity, Inc. This episode is AI-generated content.
EP26: The 10-Minute Contractor Check Every Jersey Shore Family Should Run
· 12:57
A LocalJobs-focused episode: the four-step, ten-minute routine that separates a legitimate NJ home improvement contractor from a storm-chaser. Includes NJ Consumer Affairs verification steps and the state contractor registration requirements every Monmouth family should know.
EP25: Monmouth Businesses to Know: Play, Realtors, Farm Market, Parks
· 7:24
Weekly Monmouth Businesses to Know roundup. This week: Magic Sky Play (Marlboro indoor playground), Heritage House Sotheby's International Realty (Rumson), Delicious Orchards (Colts Neck), and the Monmouth County Park System. Plus verify-before-you-commit tips. No sponsors, no fees — an editorial roundup from Love of Humanity, Inc. This episode is AI-generated content.
EP24: Monmouth Businesses to Know: Pediatric Health + Fitness + Salons + Home Services
· 7:41
Weekly Monmouth Businesses to Know roundup. This week: Tots to Teens & In Bee Tween Pediatric Dentistry (Holmdel), F45 Training Manalapan, Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids (Freehold), and Cowleys Pest Services (Farmingdale). Plus the verify-before-you-commit questions to ask each one. No sponsors, no fees — an editorial roundup from Love of Humanity, Inc. This episode is AI-generated content.
EP23: Monmouth Businesses to Know: Kids Activities + Realtors + Kids Retail + Community
· 7:47
Weekly Monmouth Businesses to Know roundup. This week: The Little Gym of Aberdeen (kids gymnastics 4mo–12yr), Diane Turton Realtors in Rumson (independent shore brokerage), The Train Doctor of Eatontown (model trains + repair), and the Monmouth County Library System (13 branches, free programming). No sponsors, no fees — an editorial roundup from Love of Humanity, Inc. This episode is AI-generated content.
EP22: Heat Waves on Our Shore: A Neighbor-to-Neighbor Plan
· 9:42
Heat is the leading weather-killer in the U.S., but most of what protects a Monmouth family during a heat wave isn't gear — it's a plan. Three layers of household heat planning: the house (cool room + pre-cooling), the people (call list), and the block (the four closest neighbors who might need a check-in). Sourced to CDC guidance on preventing heat illness. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
Four Monmouth County small businesses across four categories: Teeth Tamers Orthodontics (Englishtown), Pure Barre Red Bank, Salon Concrete at Bell Works (Holmdel), and Breeze Heating & Air Conditioning (Aberdeen) — plus a 60-second walkthrough on verifying any NJ provider through the state license portal. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP20: NJ Contractor Check: Verify Registration Before You Renovate
· 6:07
A practical shore-ready checklist for verifying a New Jersey home improvement contractor's registration before you pay a deposit. Use Business Search (not Person Search) on the state portal — HIC registrations are issued to the business, not the person. Official portal: https://newjersey.mylicense.com/verification/ This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP19: Seven Contractor Red Flags (and the 10-Minute Vetting Routine)
· 13:18
Seven red flags every Monmouth County family should know before signing a home-improvement contract — plus a 10-minute vetting routine you can run in your kitchen. Covers cash-only pressure plays, storm-chaser bait-and-switch, NJ HIC verification, what real insurance certs look like, how to read change orders, and how to handle a dispute. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP18: Spotlight Roundup — Four Monmouth Businesses Families Should Know
· 9:20
Four Monmouth County businesses worth knowing about: Caruso Foot and Ankle in Freehold, Rockit Academy test prep in Lincroft, Retro Fitness in Middletown, and Tanliners Club & Spa in Eatontown. What each one offers, the family-safety questions to ask before you commit, and the local resources that protect you. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP17: Vet Your Contractor in 10 Minutes (Before You Sign Anything)
· 9:39
A calm, NJ-Shore-practical 10-minute checklist for hiring home improvement contractors before you sign anything. Search by business (not by person) on the NJ mylicense.com Business Search portal, match the registration number to your contract and advertising, use milestone payments, and keep the 24-hour pause sentence in your back pocket. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP16: How NJ Families Get Energy Help: A Plain-English Guide to LIHEAP, USF, and the LOH Directory
· 16:23
A plain-English guide to New Jersey's energy assistance programs: LIHEAP (federal heating help, closes June 30, 2026), the Universal Service Fund 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. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP15: How to Verify a NJ Contractor Before You Hire
· 13:23
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 at newjersey.mylicense.com/verification. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP14: How to Get Things Fixed: A Neighbor’s Guide to Local Government
· 14:57
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. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP13: How Community Development Works in Monmouth County
· 18:13
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. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP12: The NJ Data Center Boom and Your Electric Bill
· 11:36
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. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP11: Heat and High Water: A Family Climate-Ready Plan for the Jersey Shore
· 15:18
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. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP10: Three Bids in Hours, Not Days: How LocalJobs Works for Jersey Shore Contractors
· 17:05
A practical walkthrough of LocalJobs — a Jersey Shore jobsite-services marketplace where local vetted vendors compete for your job and you pick the winner. Built for general contractors and site supervisors who don’t have time to chase three quotes. CTA: localjobs.advalorem.io. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP09: Show Up: Volunteer Pathways in Monmouth County and Across NJ
· 10:36
How New Jerseyans can show up for their neighbors — NJ 2-1-1's statewide volunteer database, United Way of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, Jersey Cares, Senior Corps, NJ VOAD, American Red Cross, and FEMA CERT. Visit lovehumanity.charity for more. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP08: Every Family Deserves Clean Air: Environmental Justice in NJ
· 13:55
NJ's landmark Environmental Justice Law, the January 2026 court victory that upheld it, 3,735 overburdened communities covering 5.4 million people, $596M in enforcement recoveries, and what families in Monmouth County can do with tools like EJMAP. Visit lovehumanity.charity for more. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP07: Food on the Table, Even When the Weather Isn't
· 12:09
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. Visit lovehumanity.charity for more. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP06: The People Showing Up for Monmouth County
· 14:08
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. Visit lovehumanity.charity for more. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.
EP05: Every Program That Helps Pay Your NJ Energy Bill
· 16:40
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. Call 2-1-1 to start. Visit lovehumanity.charity for more. This episode is AI-generated content produced by Love of Humanity, Inc.