VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A Virginia Beach gas station hosted a free gas giveaway Thursday afternoon, helping the community at a time when gas prices are spiking.
The Malbon Bros. Corner Mart said they planned to give out $5,000 worth of gas. After the event was over, owner Mark Malbon said they actually went a little over the limit. Each car was given up to 10 gallons and he estimates they filled up 140 cars.
Mike and Mark Malbon, who own the corner mart, are no strangers to helping the community. They have held multiple Thanksgiving turkey giveaways in the last few years, and were honored with a People Taking Action award in 2019.
Mark told us why they decided to do this giveaway.
"We're a small business. We know everybody; we've lived here our whole life. We know all the customers by name. We're not the giant corporate gasoline stations, you know - we're just one station. And we try to treat our customers the best we can," he said.
Thursday's giveaway started at 3 p.m. at the corner mart, located on General Booth Boulevard. The first driver in line told News 3 he got there about 11:30 a.m. and just parked and hung out, enjoying the nice weather.
Another driver said she really appreciated the generosity.
"I thought, 'What a great idea!' It’s a blessing at this time with the economy how it is, and you know, everybody needs gas. So, with the price of gas going up, why not?" said April Little.
Malbon Bros. has an ongoing offer of a free car wash with every 10+ gallon purchase of gas.
Related: Portsmouth church gives away $20,000 worth of free gas as prices skyrocket in Hampton Roads
