Spud Truck Dishes Out Free Meals for Families

Spud Truck Serves Up Support for Jersey Families This Summer

Hundreds of hot, freshly baked potatoes topped with a range of fillings have been dished out to Jersey families in need throughout the school summer holidays.

The initiative, run by local charity Caring Cooks, operates from the Spud Truck, a mobile kitchen serving between 800 and 1,000 potatoes each week. Meals are available at Haute Vallée every weekday from 16:30 to 18:00 BST.

“It’s flat out, and there’s a lot of preparation involved, but it is absolutely all worth it,” said Yvonne Corbin, chief executive of Caring Cooks, speaking to BBC Radio Jersey.

Running the Spud Truck costs around £1,500 to £2,000 a week—about £12,000 over the summer—but Corbin said local businesses and funders had been quick to rally behind the project.

“People love the Spud Truck—the idea of it, the whole premise of it,” she explained. “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 project comes against the backdrop of rising hardship on the island. Earlier this year, the Jersey Child Care Trust reported that nearly one in four children live in relative poverty, with household incomes at least 60% below the median.