Restaurant Owner Spends Free Time Fixing Old Cars And Donating Them To Community Members In Need

Jul 15, 2021

When you live in a small or rural town, there is often limited public transportation — or even none at all. If you don’t have your own vehicle, this makes getting to work almost impossible. In an inspiring story from July 2021, a man named Eliot Middleton is repairing old cars and then donating them to members of his community that really need them.

Middleton, 38, is a restaurant owner and previous mechanic, who spends his free time and resources fixing up junk cars and then gives them away to people that can’t afford them with no strings attached. Middleton knew that the rural area of South Carolina that he lives in had no public transportation, taxis or Ubers. So if you didn’t have a car, then you had no career.

Middleton donated his first car to Melanie Lee, a woman who used to drive two hours every day to visit her son who had an illness that lasted several years, until his death just weeks before his mother received the donated vehicle. Lee and Middleton had never met previously, but he heard about her story and wanted to help. Lee said that she takes care of her two granddaughters and needed a car to get them to school, so this gift was life-changing for her. 

After the success of the first donation, Middleton knew he wanted to keep going, but he needed more cars to work on. That is when he went on Facebook and posted an offer to give free food from his restaurant to anyone that would donate an old car. Many people took up the offer, and in July 2021, Middleton had 100 cars to fix for those in need.

Middleton saw the need in his community and knew he could do something about it. He 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. Giving someone a car can change all that, and it does change all that. I want to help everybody looking to better themselves when transportation is what's holding them back."

Lee said of Middleton’s gift to her: "I got my freedom back. Eliot is a godsend. He's a special kind of godsend. What Eliot is doing is purposeful. That car to me is a real true blessing."

Mike Jennings, who also received a car from Middleton, said, "It was very touching for Eliot to think of me too. It really meant so much to me. I didn't have to worry about how to get to work, or rely on people anymore. I was really struggling and he helped ease that so much."

Middleton said, "We need to remember communities that have been forgotten. People recognize major cities and forget our rural towns, and the people in them that need some help. They're people, they're Americans, and we should be taking care of them."

He continued, "A lot of people turn to their pastors or psychiatrists to open up about their situations, but others turn to their communities. That's what I'm here for, to always be here for my community whether it's for advice or to talk or fix up cars for them. I'll always be taking care of my people."

Do you find Middleton’s work inspiring? Would you ever donate an old car for some free food? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.