Luxury Atlanta van company turns focus to helping hospital workers

ATLANTA — As people avoid travel and cancel vacations during the coronavirus pandemic, a local company that rents high-end campers has seen business dry up.

Now, it is pivoting, using the empty vans to help others.

Channel 2′s Justin Grey talked to the owners of sCAMPer Van, who said their bookings dried up in days.

"We went from sold out to zero in a matter of, you guys know, days," Dutch Van de Steeg said. "Normally, it's for everything from a weekend getaway with the family to monthlong excursion across the country. Now, obviously they're sitting."

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The vans are meant to be out in nature or on the open road, but with the crisis only getting worse, the owners started to think of ways they could be put to use.

"If it's going to sit, I'd rather I help somebody," Van de Steeg said. "What we wanted to do is, we wanted to brainstorm: How can we help? How can we be a part of this?"

Over the past few days, the company has put out the call to local hospitals and first responders. It's donating use of the vans to health care workers who need a safe place on-site to rest or sleep.

It just made the offer Friday, and already, Piedmont Hospital reached out wanting vans for its employees.

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"Our goal is to help the hospitals and their front-line folks that need it most," Van de Steeg said. "We want to provide a safe haven a safe space or a place to stay."

sCAMPer Van said it has seven vans it will make available.

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