Volunteers rebuild Mount Pleasant man’s sweetgrass basket stand after it was damaged in hit-and-run
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – The community gave back in a big way Saturday for a man who lost his family’s sweetgrass basket stand in a hit-and-run crash last year.
Eugene Gilliard reached out to News 2 last week, upset that a truck crashed into his stand on the side of Highway 17 before leaving the scene. Because the truck was unidentified, Gilliard was left with the bill – and for weeks the stand sat heavily damaged, and Gilliard unable to pay for the repairs.
But after our story aired, people flooded our inbox, they reached out on social media, and called the television station all wanting to help either financially, by donating supplies, or asking how they can help reconstruct his stand.
Gilliard’s stand now stands sturdy in its original space on the side of Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant after community members – including the town’s former and current mayor – stepped in and got to work.
“We all gotta learn to help one another,” Gilliard said.
With a handful of volunteers and a booming spirit of giving, Gilliard’s heartbreaking story now has a happy ending.
Professional builders and other helpers met at 8:00 a.m. Saturday and got to work.
“I met a lot of these people out here, and everybody’s nice and want to help. I just love it,” said Gilliard’s cousin, Nakia Wigfall.
The outpouring of support doesn’t surprise Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie, who also helped repair the sweetgrass basket stand. “Two great things. One, it’s just community spirit in general. The other is how we value our Gullah heritage in Mount Pleasant,” he said.
And the best part of it all may be the new sign that now hangs on the front of his rebuilt stand. It reads: “Eugene and Lucille Gilliard Sweetgrass Baskets.”
Lucille is Gilliard’s late mother, the one who he says taught him the craft of sweetgrass basket making so many years ago.
“It means a whole lot to me,” he said.
Volunteers who helped rebuild Gilliard’s stand told News 2 they do not want the support for sweetgrass basket makers to stop here – they hope to help others in the future.
