When Eliot Middleton was a little boy, he followed his father around everywhere, watching the talented mechanic carefully fix car after car.
Less than a year after his death, Middleton, 38, now a restaurant owner, is honoring his father’s legacy by fixing junk cars and donating them to people throughout rural South Carolina, where public transportation is sparse.
To get the cars, he trades a plate of ribs from his restaurant, Middleton’s Village BBQ, to anyone willing to part with a broken-down vehicle.
Middleton also launched an online fundraising campaign to support the project.
“You don’t have a car, you don’t have a career. How will people who have no reliable buses, no Ubers, travel to the city, where they would be able to find bigger jobs at the port authorities or manufacturing centers?” Middleton told CNN. “They can’t walk 40, 50, 60 miles to great jobs — they have to settle for small-end jobs that pay well below what they need to survive.”
So far, he’s collected 100 cars and surprised 33 community members with a repaired ride — without asking for a single thing in return.
Bless him, what a wonderful thing to do.
Every city needs more men like Middleton his city & family I am sure are very proud.