AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — An Auburn Hills church celebrated Giving Tuesday by offering free gas to community members at a local gas station.
The Apostolic Church of Auburn Hills organized the charitable event Tuesday afternoon at the Crystal Palace Gas Station on East Walton Boulevard. From noon to 1 p.m., drivers received 10 gallons of free gas, gift cards and a prayer.
Watch Demetrios Sanders' video report below:
"At the Apostolic Church, one of our core values is generosity," said Steve Warman, senior pastor of The Apostolic Church of Auburn Hills. "Today, we wanted to give back to our local community here in Auburn Hills."
Vehicles lined up near the gas station as word spread about the giveaway. Some drivers, like Kylee Green, stumbled upon the event by chance.
"I came in just for a Pepsi and then I got told to come out here for some free gas real quick," Green said.
Warman said the church hoped the act of kindness would help ease financial burdens for families during the holiday season.
"Gas is important and we know right now, things are tight all over our community," Warman said. "If we can help them with a little bit of gas and a blessing to go with that, we're happy to do that."
Driver Eyvonne Whaley learned about the giveaway early Tuesday morning and arrived around 30 minutes early to secure her spot in line.
"I said 'well, can I sit right here?' He said 'you're first in line.' I said 'thank you God,'" Whaley said.
Whaley emphasized how the cost of gas can create barriers for people, and receiving it for free eases those worries.
"If you have gas in your car, you can get to where you need to be and you can do what you have to do sometimes," Whaley said.
For driver Dontavia Whitfield, the giveaway came at a crucial time.
"I really needed it. I really needed the gas. I didn't have it right now, so it really means a lot. It's really a blessing," Whitfield said.
Green said the event restored her faith in community spirit.
"Just kind of makes you have restored faith in humanity because you hear about bad stuff and not a lot of good stuff. So, its phenomenal for them to do this," Green said.
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