ELOISE, Fla. -- Free gasoline promotions always grab the attention of local motorists—even more so when fuel prices run higher. For a couple hours Saturday in Eloise, Fla., motorists had a chance to fill up for free thanks to a local church group eager to ease the sting of high fuel prices on local residents.
According to the Eloise Ledger, the First Baptist Church of Eagle Lake, in central Florida, raised $11,510 to underwrite the giveaway, with the intention being to help out the local community and "spread God's love." When all was said and done, 378 lucky motorists were beneficiaries [image-nocss] of free gasoline at a local 7-Eleven, which was selling fuel that day for $2.94 a gallon.
The Polk County Sheriff's office cut off the line at about 10:30 a.m. after 65 church volunteers had spent a couple hours pumping gasoline, washing windshields and passing out Bibles to motorists as they waited in the queue, the report said. The event occurred without incident.
Church sponsors had approached several local gasoline retailers in the area about hosting the giveaway, but came up empty until the local 7-Eleven offered to participate in the promotion, which the church entirely funded.
John Womack, a corporate field consultant for 7-Eleven, told the newspaper that several 7-Eleven employees circulated through the parking lot with sample trays of brownies and taquitos and distributed small cups that could be taken inside the store for complementary Slurpees.
The Ledger added that a few cars and trucks had to be pushed into the parking lot because drivers had either run out of gasoline or their radiators had overheated while waiting in line. One motorist had arrived at 7:45 a.m. with about a quarter of a tank, but found her tank nearly empty by the time she pulled up to the fueling island.
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