VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Gas prices are still high as state leaders in Richmond disagree on how to keep some extra money in Virginian's pockets.
In the meantime, one local gas station stepped in to help hundreds of drivers.
Cars lined up along Culver Lane in Virginia Beach Thursday afternoon. The reason? Free gas.
"I needed to fill up my big boss haul truck up here, so I decided to come up, give it a shot and see what's going on," said Steve Kirby.
The Malbon Brothers Corner Mart hosted the gas giveaway as people are still strapped for cash as prices soar.
Kirby said when he heard about the deal, he couldn't pass it up. The free car wash and barbecue sandwich were an added plus.
"Especially in these times, it's rough. You know, the working families really have a tough time making ends meet and this is a nice way to say, 'Hey, maybe we can help somebody out in need,'" Kirby said.
Owner Mark Malbon said since they weren't able to do their annual turkey giveaway in November, they thought this was a great alternative.
They planned to give away $5,000 worth of gas to the first 125 cars.
"It was a madhouse," Malbon said.
Cars began to line up at 10:00 a.m. to score free fuel-- the event didn't start until 3:00 p.m. By 4:00 p.m., they'd reached their $5,000 cap and then some. They ended up giving free gas to 140 drivers.
"It’s very touching. We’ve been here since 1995 and they’ve supported us all these years. So, every year we try to do something special for our customers and give back to the community and just help them out," said Malbon.
The giveaway comes after Gov. Glenn Youngkin's push to suspend Virginia's gas tax for May, June and July was voted down.
A Senate committee rejected the proposal that would have saved 26 cents a gallon on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Democrats said they want to see $50 direct payments to Virginia drivers instead.
That proposal failed in Richmond as well.