Spud Truck serves up free food to families

Running the truck costs about £1,500 to £2,000 a week

Hundreds of free, freshly-baked potatoes with a variety of toppings have been served to Jersey families in need over the school summer holidays.

The Spud Truck mobile food initiative is serving between 800 and 1,000 potatoes a week, said the charity behind the scheme, Caring Cooks.

Food is served from the Spud Truck at Haute Vallee from 16:30 to 18:00 BST every weekday.

"It's flat out, and there's a lot of preparation involved, but it is absolutely all worth it," Yvonne Corbin, chief executive of Caring Cooks, told BBC Radio Jersey.

Running the truck costs about £1,500 to £2,000 a week, roughly £12,000 for the summer.

But Ms Corbin said the support from local businesses and funders had been strong.

"People love the Spud Truck, the idea of it, the whole premise of it," she said.

"If anyone feels the need to take away that financial burden, they can come along and have a meal.

"And, for the amount of happiness and joy it brings, it's worth every penny.

"It's great for the children too. They're interacting, there are things to do. It's like a summer club."

The Jersey Child Care Trust said in May that nearly a quarter of the island's children lived in relative poverty, meaning their family's income was at least 60% under the median.