Palmerston North Street Van needs a replacement van to serve hot food and drinks

Street Van volunteers had to resort to a trestle table when the van was off the road in autumn. Photo / Grace Irwin

Palmerston North Street Van needs a new van.

One of its two vans is on its last legs and was off the road for a month in autumn while the motor was patched up. It also has gearbox issues.

The van has done 250,000km and is now just driven from Street Van's office in King St to The Square and back again, founder Lew Findlay says. The battery has to be charged every week because the motor doesn't do enough to keep it ticking over.

A replacement high-top secondhand van is estimated to cost $30-40,000, so if someone has a van sitting in their backyard they didn't need, or can help financially, Street Van would really appreciate it.

The van needs to be high-top so volunteers can stand up in it. It ideally needs to have a long wheelbase, allowing more space for the volunteers who serve hot food and drinks.

While the servery van is parked up in The Square the second takes people home from a night in town.

When the servery van was off the road, volunteers set up a trestle table at the Main St Terminal but this meant no pies as there was no power for a pie warmer. This arrangement also tied up the other van as it was ferrying food to MST.

There is nowhere else the homeless or couch surfers can get a free meal in Palmerston North on Friday and Saturday nights, Findlay says.

Street Van gives out 50 to 100 pies a night, slices from five pizzas, sandwiches and cakes. It goes through 500 disposable cups every six weeks so there is definitely a need for the service, he says.

During the week one van is used to deliver food to homes and the other is used by various organisations for transport.

Street Van first hit the road in February 1996. Its motto is to help people whatever the need, wherever possible".

• If you can help Street Van with a replacement van, ring 021 615 245.