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 Acura we were provided a 2022 Acura MDX SH-AWD A-SPEC to deliver the goods to all of the at-need families.
All week Silas Grant worked feverishly collecting names and addresses for the at-need families who would be receiving these care packages. 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 MDX which is a three-row mid-size luxury 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 290hp 3.5 liter VTEC V6 engine to use. Throughout the day we received many compliments on how we arrived in style. The MDX came in a Platinum White Pearl hue. The 20” Alloy wheels added to the conversation, followed by how the A-Spec really set everything off. This package includes red Leather-Trimmed sport seats with UltraSuede inserts, sport pedals and LED fog lights.
The Acura MDX is a three-row mid-size luxury crossover SUV. There is ample interior space due to the extra length of the wheelbase. The new model is longer and wider than before and has a 2.8-inch longer wheelbase. It was fun piling up comfortably in the MDX, while the goods were secure in their dedicated placements. There is a good amount of cargo volume that we used. The MDX provides 16.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third-row seats, 39.1 cubic feet with the third-row seats folded down, and 71.4 cubes with the second and third rows folded down. 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 $58,625.00. It was definitely a luxurious 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.
