Hundreds of St. Petersburg, Florida residents took advantage of Rod Wave’s generous gas giveaway on Saturday (April 9).
Wave, according to local TV station WFLA, donated $25,000 worth of gasoline to his hometown as he promised he would back in March when Florida reached record-setting gas prices.
“It’s a hundred dollars to fill my tank right now and with an SUV, it’s a big relief having this extra cushion,” one driver told the TV station.
“It was crazy to me how much gas had went up,” the SoulFly singer told WFLA. “For me on an everyday basis, it doesn’t affect me much, but I know it’s people out there that really need it.”
During the event, drivers were able to take up to $50 of gas, or about 12 gallons. Wave said that the gas giveaway won’t be the last time he gives back to his hometown.
“Without what they gave to me, I probably wouldn’t be who I am today, so that kind of stuff is only a portion of what I want to do and bring back to the city,” he told WFLA.
The price of gas on Saturday (April 8) was $4.06 and nine-tenths a gallon for regular unleaded,the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Before Wave arrived at the event, his mom Charmaine Newsome helped pump gas and direct the volunteers. Several of the locals who lent a helping hand were football players and staff from Wave’s old school Lakewood High.
“It shows me that he still is humble,” Newsome told the Tampa Bay Times regarding her son’s gesture.
The Sunoco manager Tom Phillips said Rod Wave’s team approached him with the idea to have the event there and they organized “90 percent” of it. Phillips and the gas station’s owner Abdul Khan attended the event and made sure they had enough gas for the drivers.
Check out video from the event below: