YORK, Pa. - The commute to Hershey that Angela Gilbert of Marietta makes each day just got a little easier; Gilbert is the first winner of free gas for a year in the Rutter??s Summer Gas Giveaway.

The Summer Gas Giveaway began at Rutter??s stores on May 23 and runs through September. Two winners of free gas for a year will be selected each month, eight winners in all.

In addition to earning cents-off-per gallon rewards with each qualifying purchase, registered Rutter??s Rewards cardholders are entered into the monthly prize drawing each time they scan their card and purchase that month??s qualified items.

"The great thing about this contest is that even if you don??t win the grand prize, purchasing these items and scanning your card still earns you cents-off-per-gallon at the pump," said Robert Perkins, vice president of marketing at Rutter??s.

"My husband and I both stop at Rutter??s at least once every day to get coffee," said Gilbert. "I have about a 90 minute round-trip commute, this is going to be a big help with that."

The Summer Gas Giveaway is an addition to the Rutter??s Rewards program that the York-based company began in October of 2009. The program allows customers to earn cents-off-per-gallon rewards on each purchase of 1,600 eligible items storewide in which a Rutter??s Rewards card is scanned. The Rutter??s Rewards are redeemable immediately and valid from 60 days from the date that they are acquired.

Since the beginning of the Rutter??s Rewards program, loyal Rutter??s customers across Central Pa. have earned cents-off-per-gallon rewards on more than 13 million gallons of fuel.