Wilkins was the ninth out of 200 people to receive free $40 gas cards from Verizon Yellow Pages. She arrived at 4:30 a.m.

Others had been waiting since 12:30 a.m. More than 200 people were in line when Chris Alexander, who does marketing for Verizon Yellow Pages, arrived at 7 a.m. Some were hanging around the gas station at 11 a.m., hoping for an extra gas card.

“We’re trying to help people out with their travel plans for the big weekend,” Alexnder said. “The price of gas has really gone sky high, and we want to make sure people have enough gas to go see their families.”

The giveaway was more than a full tank for Wilkins. Financial problems, plus being separated from her husband, have made things challenging for her.

That difficulty became obvious five feet from the pump.

“I think I just ran out of gas,” she said.

Three Verizon workers and a Durham police officer helped her the rest of the way.