A mechanic in South Carolina is putting people in his community in the driver’s seat — for free.
Eliot Middleton works magic under various hoods, smoking barbecue at his restaurant and repairing donated cars.
He gifts the cars to people without a ride in rural South Carolina. So far, he has gifted more than 60 vehicles.
“They now know that there’s somebody in the community that was looking out for them and cared for them to be able to carry on,” Middleton said.
After CBS News ran a story about Middleton in June, viewers donated dozens of used vehicles.
He gave away 12 cars for the 12 days of Christmas.
“You have no idea how much this means to me,” Aziare Green, one of Middleton’s gift recipients, said.
“I’m so glad we were able to help,” Middleton said.
Green got a 2006 Honda Civic. To the single mom, it’s like Santa pulled up and gave her his sleigh.
“I am always having to wait and borrow people’s cars,” Green said. But now she has her own car, made possible because of Middleton’s efforts.
When asked what the charity had taught him about people, Middleton said that “With somebody pushing the iron, there’s going to be folks behind you pushing the iron too.”
