VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Essential Church in Virginia Beach was on a roll on Thursday, because it handed out rolls of toilet paper to people who needed some. It was the church's response to stores that had little or no stock of toilet paper.
Depleted stocks of toilet paper is the result of people purchasing loads of it as the coronavirus pandemic spread across the United States.
The line of cars stretched outside of the church's parking lot. Drivers pulled up to a tent where church members handed out four rolls of toilet paper in plastic bags. The members used a pole to hand the drivers the rolls through their windows.
The free rolls flushed away the anxiety of those who could not find any, including Christine Spute.
"Sadly, my daughter is out of toilet paper and we looked everywhere and there is none anywhere," Spute Said. "I'm really blessed to have this, so when we saw it on the news we had to run down."
Steve Swisher, the church's pastor, said they had 1,800 rolls to give away because it was included in their periodic shipments even though they weren't meeting. He said they wanted to do their part to help the community.
"I have no idea why toilet paper is the hot commodity right now," Swisher said. "However, it's the need. We happen to meet that need, so here we are."
Each roll had a message stuck on to it, some humorous and some uplifting.
Swisher said that if they had any remaining rolls, they would host another toilet paper drive-through again in the next week.
