The intersection of Green Bay Road and Foster Street was the happiest place around for a few hours Thursday morning.
That’s when a total of $20,000 worth of gas was given away to about 400 drivers at Mobil Gas, 1950 Green Bay Road.
“I didn’t see one grouchy person,” said Simone Brooks, one of 10 volunteers pumping gas.
The Dr. Willie Wilson Foundation paid for the gas. The Mobil station was one of 50 outlets in and around Chicago dispensing free gas Thursday in the name of Wilson, a Chicago businessman who has failed in repeated electoral bids for mayor of Chicago, U.S. senator and president of the United States.
As much as people enjoyed the gift, many talked about how much they have been affected by the high cost of gas, now hovering in the $5 a gallon range. “It’s a crazy time in the world that this needs to be done,” said Krishon Pinkins, who came to the station with his girlfriend for 10 gallons of gas.
An Evanston woman right behind him filled up her 2005 Lincoln Aviator and said, “So today, I don’t have to walk.” She said she can’t afford to buy gas these days. “This came out of nowhere,” she said. “It’s a real blessing.”
Lucy Wilson Cunningham, who lives in Skokie, started waiting at 5:15 a.m. She made it to the pump about 7 a.m. “I still work every day, but by the time you pay all your bills, your mortgage, your gas, your lights … this is going to help me tremendously,” she said. “I try to help other people. But today I’m getting help.”
Few minded the long wait; some queued up as early as 2 a.m.
Danny Farr, of Top Cat Hauling, pulled up in his 2001 GMC truck with a 50-gallon tank. Thursday’s giveaway had a $50 per-vehicle limit. “Any little bit can help,” he said.
Tanya Herbert drove up in her silver Mercedes, which looked much newer than its 2010 model year. “It’s my home,” she said.
There were few Priuses and of course no Teslas in the line, which extended northwest up Green Bay Road to Simpson Street, then 12 blocks west to McCormick Boulevard and several blocks south to Golf Road.
There were a couple of accounts of line jumpers but nothing official and one report of a fender bender. Most people listened to music on their cellphones or the radio or read as they waited through the early morning. “I enjoyed the quiet,” said Achilles Kapsalis, a retired banquet server from Skokie.
Mohammed Jaber, manager of the Mobil, said the station normally sells about 2,500 to 3,000 gallons a day, so dispensing 4,000 gallons in the first few hours meant it was likely going to be its most profitable day ever.
Jaber said he had an extra shipment of gas delivered overnight and added that he reduced the price about 30 cents a gallon to help community members.
He also donated gas to a couple of drivers turned away at 10:30 a.m. when the giveaway ended.
About 50 people were turned away, he said. “It wasn’t that bad.” Then he put up a sign saying no more free gas.
(The City of Evanston has shared these aerial photos of traffic related to the gas giveaway.)
NOT knocking people who went to this to get gas but I have to question how much gas they burned waiting in line for 1-2 hours. Perhaps a better system would be to give out gas gift cards so people could fill up when they needed to and it could then be spaced out so that people were not sitting in line all morning and the EPD would not have had to hang out and manage traffic?
How many taxpayer dollars were spent by the city to manage traffic for this stunt?