Community rallies around local craftsman in need of a new sweetgrass basket stand
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD)- Plans are in the works to help a Mount Pleasant man whose sweetgrass basket stand was nearly destroyed in a hit-and-run crash last month.
After telling you about Eugene Gilliard, News 2 received an overwhelming number of messages and phone calls from the community looking to help.
“It means a whole lot to me,” Gilliard said after learning about the response.
For a month and a half, Gilliard has been without his basket stand which dates back decades in his family.
The truck responsible for the crash left the scene, leaving police no way to identify it and Gilliard to pay for the repairs.
We told his story, and it didn’t take long for help to show up on his front doorstep.
“It was heartbreaking to know this happened a month and a half ago and he still doesn’t have a new stand,” Mount Pleasant resident, Dan Delanty said.
Wednesday morning, a crew of community members, including professional builders, went to Gilliard’s house ready to get to work.
They assessed what materials they will need to rebuild the stand.
“We’d like to build it back better than new,” home remodeler, Phil Bennett said.
It doesn’t stop at the stand.
Former Mount Pleasant mayor, Cheryll Woods-Flowers says they want to go even further, by fixing up Gilliard’s home.
“We’re going to have an assessment done of the interior of the house and the exterior, to see what needs to be done and prioritize those things that make the biggest difference,” Woods-Flowers said.
Dozens of people have also donated to help cover the cost.
“If we can’t support our local community, our local businesspeople, our local artists, what are we doing here,” Delanty said.
Gilliard told us he’s overwhelmed by the support he’s receiving and it’s a reminder to live generously.
“You can’t take nothing back to heaven, you can’t take nothing but you. That’s what it means to me, I love it,” Gilliard said.
As of now, the plan is to gather the materials and the community will gather to rebuild the stand Saturday morning.
