Church gives away free gas

FOREST PARK, Ohio - Inspirational Baptist Church gave away $5,000 of free gas Saturday afternoon at the Kroger fuel station in Forest Park.

The church distributed $15 gas cards to the first 333 cars to pull in to the station.

Cars started lining up well over an hour before the 5 p.m. giveaway and created a massive traffic jam in front of the grocery store.

Cincinnati Police officers and nearly 50 volunteers from the church were on-hand directing traffic.

Church Bishop Victor Couzens says the giveaway is a chance for the church to give back to the community and relieve some of the stress of the difficult economy. 

"Gas is $3.70 a gallon, and that's on the low end.  A lot of people are just having a difficult time," Couzens said.  "What we have found is one person cannot do significantly much, but we have more than 5,000 people in our fellowship.  When we all come together and put our resources together, these are the types of big things that we can do to just make people's lives a little better."

Couzens said in the last year the church has collected more than $70,000 from its fellowship, which Couzens intends to return to the community.  He says the church is assisting people with paying their rent, utilities and mortagaes.  The church has also donated hundreds of pairs of shoes to Haiti.