Community activist gives away $15,000 in free gas on his birthday
Hundreds of cars lined up around the block and on Keosauqua Way Saturday morning waiting to celebrate the Rev. Rob Johnson's 35th birthday with free gas and a slice of Kum & Go breakfast pizza.
By Beau Bowman
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Hundreds of cars lined up around the block and on Keosauqua Way Saturday morning waiting to celebrate the Rev. Rob Johnson’s 35th birthday with free gas and a slice of Kum & Go breakfast pizza.
It’s a tradition the community activist and local pastor started last year. This time Johnson raised $15,000 with the Des Moines Urban Experience to pump gas into Iowa cars for his birthday.
“Somebody right now is blessed because they didn’t have the gas to make it, but we got it done,” Johnson said.
In an area where most gas stations charge about $3.20 per gallon, Johnson hopes his birthday gift to the community can help struggling families.
“It’s pretty cool that the community can come together and help people,” Brooke Sanders said as her gas tank was topped off. “Especially being a mother of three kids, no job, yeah it helps a lot. Every little resource, it adds up, it lets my kids know that you can still be great.”
“Love is an action,” Johnson said as the last car rolled out of the gas station. “And this right here. This is what we’re doing. Making it happen for our community. It’s bigger than us.”
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