Carevan, a Albury-based charity group that provides food, dental care and housing assistance to the underprivileged in the Border region, received a much-needed new van yesterday after local concrete supplier Xypex stepped in.

The van replaces an old, barely-roadworthy vehicle the charity has been using to roam the streets of Albury-Wodonga for years to help the needy.

Carevan founder Dr Brabant said the birth of the charity came from a "message in a bottle".

"The charity is not just me, it's the whole Albury-Wodonga community and it's a charity that started here. The whole thing started when I saw a story on the front page of The Border Mail - by Kristy Grant, it said 'it's easier to turn away than to care'."

This inspired the motto now written on the front of the van: "It's easier to care than to turn away".

"It was a story about how homelessness was a big issue in north-east Victoria and southern NSW - our region - from couch surfers to people living in poverty," he said.

"I had a bottle of red wine and said, right, I'm going to do something about this - that's how it all started.

"I wanted to make it a community project because that way it would be sustainable and it has been, because the community knows about that project and today's gift of a van should make more people know about it.

"We don't get any big government funding or corporate sponsorship, we have to fundraise, but people know that the money stays in the community, goes back to the community."

Carevan director Jacqui Partington said it was a relief to now be able to travel in a "van that actually works".

"We had an old van for years that used to spend a lot of time in the workshop," Ms Partington said.

"This is the first van that has suspension, it's got Bluetooth because you're often taking your phone to communicate with where the needs are."

"The next project is to build a commercial kitchen so we can support people's cooking skills."

Xypex Australia managing director Rob Godson said he made the decision to help Carevan out after he realised just how much ordinary people were suffering.

"I was listening to the radio one morning and they were auctioning Monopoly boards and I thought, I want one of those, rang up and bid $5000," he said.

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"That was the first step and then I found out what Carevan did after chatting with Leanne Johnson (Careview chief executive officer) who told me their van was not very good and out of the blue I said do you want a new van? It just went from there.

"The old van was a heap of rubbish - Leanne made the comment that it will change everything.

"I guess it's a new phase for what is a worthwhile cause."

Albury MP Justin Clancy said "just seeing the generous community spirit is heartwarming".

"We know the good work that Carevan does and this just makes it much easier for them to continue their great work," Mr Clancy said.

"There's a lot of people doing it tough for a varirty of reasons, living day by day, so a really important part of what Carevan does is getting around and having that social connection."

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