A restaurant has appealed for donors to help it continue a meals programme for people hit by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Huckleberry, at the Rosedon Hotel in Pembroke, said it planned to keep on preparing up to 1,000 meals a week in a new partnership with Christ Church in Warwick.

Rob Bruni the restaurant general manager, said: “We are actively working to raise funds to make this feeding initiative sustainable in the long term, especially as food insecurity increases in the wake of the pandemic.

“To support our efforts, a new feature has been added to our online store at HuckleberryBDA.com to enable donations at the time of purchase.”

Mr Bruni added that 100% of donations would go towards the meals programme.

The continued aid is funded through a combination of fundraising efforts.

The church has launched a bid to attract corporate donors to help fund the scheme.

The owners of Huckleberry’s have donated $5,000 and provided fresh produce from their orchards and gardens.

They have also given staff hours and their kitchens free of charge.

Huckleberry joined the Covid-19 relief effort and supplied more than $30,000 worth of meals in May and early June for distribution after an appeal by the Third Sector Co-ordinated Crisis Response Effort.

It stepped up a month earlier after a Bermuda Emergency Fund appeal for support for the Matilda Smith Williams Nursing Home in Devonshire.

Christ Church will provide meals to the Eliza Dolittle charity, as well as hand them out direct to families and individuals in distress.

Mr Bruni said: “We responded to an appeal from Christ Church as there was a void left in their feeding programme after previous community support ceased at the end of May.

“The church managed to continue the programme through June and most of July with the support of volunteers, but, as demand to otherwise utilise the church space increased and volunteers began to return to work, that approach proved increasingly unsustainable.”

Anyone who can help can make donations through Christ Church, online with their food orders at HuckleberryBDA.com, by contacting the restaurant by e-mail at communitysupport@HuckleberryBDA.com, or by contacting David Thompson at david100163@gmail.com.