Experienced by Adrian McQueen
Photos by Adrenaline Lifestyles
We are back in the giving season and Project Giveback made sure that #GiveBackSaturday would return and make a large impact for it’s 27th year. Due to COVID-19, so to adhere to the social distancing guidelines volunteers were limited and we broke the campaign into two days. So we now have #GiveBackSaturday and #GiveBackSunday. Project Giveback is a charitable initiative that targets the DC Metropolitan area. With pods setup all over the area, volunteers work overtime to make sure their areas are covered. We cover the Edgewood area of Ward 5 with our friend and colleague Silas Grant. Silas is a native Washingtonian of Ward 5 and pulls together friends and family to support in supplying an ample amount of turkeys and care packages for more than 500 families in N.E. Washington, D.C. Project Giveback volunteers packaged and distributed over 4,000 boxes to DC and Maryland families, which is their largest number to date. I have taken great pleasure assisting with this movement and watching its growth from inception.
Project Giveback was birthed in 1995 when a few friends came together and made Thanksgiving a little brighter by delivering grocery baskets to six impoverished families. Project Giveback, ran by Ransom Miller III, is now 27 years into existence and typically held at the D.C. Armory. This location serves as home base, where organizations, nonprofits and community members show up each year to collect, pack and distribute boxes of food. Thanks to the generosity and philanthropic nature of Exclusive Automotive Group (EAG), we were provided a 2021 Aston Martin DBX to deliver the goods to all of the at-need families. Upon hearing of the Turkey drive, Brendon Wright, Aston Martin Brand Manager at EAG, quickly jumped into action and secured the DBX for the event.
All week Silas Grant worked feverishly collecting names and addresses for the at-need families who would be receiving these care packages in Ward 5. Packages are being distributed at several locations in the DC and Maryland areas. My morning started out at McKinley Technology High School loading up all the trucks with turkeys, fresh fruit, fresh produce and many other goods that would be delivered to the at-need families. I received the DBX which is an air suspended, crossover SUV, that proved very efficient when loading the turkeys and boxes, being that the donations reached heights this year than they ever have before.
Adrenaline Lifestyles, C.I.T.L.R (Champagne In the Locker Room) and many more manned the Edgewood post, giving out goods to the community. As we delivered turkeys around the city I could surely tell that we were putting the 542hp 4.0L Twin-Turbo V8 engine to use. Throughout the day we received many compliments on how we arrived in style. The DBX is the Aston Martin F1 Medical Car, so it was fitting that the model loaned to us was wrapped in that theme. The 22” Sport Gloss Black Alloy wheels added to the conversation, followed by how the DB Elegance Pack really set everything off. This package includes elegant quilting & perforation detailing, embroidered Aston Martin wings logo detailing, and brogue detailing.
The Aston Martin DBX is an SUV that will seat five people. There is ample interior space due to the extra length of the wheelbase. It was fun piling up comfortably in the DBX, while the goods were secure in their dedicated placements. There is a good amount of cargo volume that we used, with 22 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat and 54 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Driving the vehicle around was a pleasure and it came complete with enough compartments to house our checklists, laptop, bags and phones. Also, the 360 degree camera with Front and Rear Parking Sensors was very much needed through some of the tight driveways and city alley streets. The model that we reviewed comes in at $198,686.00. It was definitely a top of the line turkey hauler.
I always say, “As blessed as we are, it is our duty to give back to those that are less fortunate.” I will continue to live by the motto and move forward with uplifting the communities around me. Stay tuned as we continue reaching out to families and communities in need of assistance. Enjoy the photos.
