Mechanic and barbecue chef gives cars to SC families in need just before Christmas
Mechanic Eliot Middleton helped jump-start the holiday season for a dozen families during his “12 Days of Christmas” charity event.
The South Carolina local works with families in rural areas to gift them donated vehicles he’s fixed up, and he has given away over 60 cars in total so far through his organization, called Middleton’s Village to Village Foundation.
If there’s no oil from working on cars smeared on his hands, there might be sauce. Middleton is also the owner and founder of Middleton and Maker Barbecue in Awendaw, about 20 miles northeast of Charleston.
Between the two occupations, Middleton stays busy, but the reward of contributing to the community is something that is worth it every time, he writes on Facebook.
“Thank you to everyone for your support & love, without you this wouldn’t be possible! Thank you to those who work along with me at the foundation to assist that all things run smoothly,” he posted on the Middleton’s Village to Village Foundation Facebook page on Dec. 27. “This giveaway was probably the most special of them all being able to gift so many with transportation for the holidays.”
Middleton collected a recipient list to get referrals from the community on families that could benefit from the 12 Days of Christmas charity, and the foundation then moved forward with the recipients, streaming each gifting ceremony live on its Facebook page.
Some of the recipients were single mothers, like Aziare Green, CBS reported. Green said the gift of a vehicle as she rolled into the new year made a major difference in her life.
“You have no idea how much this means to me,” she said to CBS. “I am always having to wait and borrow people’s cars.”
According to the foundation’s Facebook, the recipients ranged from a woman whose previous car exploded into flames in a school parking lot, a family who walks miles to attend church in rural South Carolina every Sunday, a care worker who hitches rides daily for an hour-long commute to their job and a U.S. Army veteran who had no transportation.
While the foundation is known for giving vehicles, Middleton is also sure to credit those who make it possible online — including the people who donate the cars in the first place.
After Middleton made a donation in Mount Pleasant, he said he got a call from an older woman who wanted to help his cause, since she had experienced the joy of charity in her life.
She “wanted to donate her 2004 Cadillac sedan Deville which was donated to her 10 years ago when she retired. ... Such a blessing but the biggest blessing of all is that I got a chance to sit down and have a conversation with a 95 year old for about 2 hours,” Middleton wrote. “That’s the part I love the most, the part of gathering knowledge from the elders!!!”
Middleton has been recognized for his efforts in rural communities, and Andrew Mayor Frank McClary personally and attended Middleton’s 12th donation of Christmas. The town also shouted out Middleton’s good deeds on its Facebook page.
“The 12th vehicle giveaway will go to a blessed resident of Andrews, SC,” the Town of Andrews posted. “Many thanks to Mr. Eliot Desmound Middleton for his unwavering commitment to aid those in need of transportation in rural communities.”
For Middleton, he signs off from most of his comments and videos with one line, the same motto that is the crux of his foundation and barbecue.
“It takes a village.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Mechanic and barbecue chef gives cars to SC families in need just before Christmas."
