Dave Plowden started Max’s Garage as an NFT project to link the NFT space with charitable groups. In recent years, NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, have popped up quickly, showing that the digital world is here to stay. With Max’s Garage, Plowden wants to dispel the idea that NFT businesses are just ways to get rich quickly. He wants to reach the IRL (in real life) community with his work by using NFTs’ fast fundraising skills.
How the books got together
“First Road Trip,” a collection of songs, was the first thing Max’s Garage put out. The 20 tokens in the first collection each show a GIF of a hand playing with a toy truck. Each NFT in the collection is unique, creative, and appealing, with images of the cars that make up our communities that are funny and interesting.
Behind each painting is a unique story that inspired this funny and easy-to-understand collection. The son of Max, a close friend of Plowden’s, gave him ideas for the photos. During the COVID-19 epidemic, Plowden saw that children with autism like Max needed programs and organizations, and he wanted to use his art skills to help children through organizations. Max’s favorite toys are cars and firetrucks because he likes to roll them and watch them move. Plowden made Max’s Garage as a response. It shows Max’s hand or the hand of one of his friends playing with a toy truck.
Change the tone of the NFT world
Max’s Garage has different goals and ideas than most places in the NFT area. Dave Plowden didn’t build this collection to get rich. Instead, all of the money made from NFT sales goes to charities that help kids.
In April 2022, Plowden promised to give the Pittsburgh chapter of Best Buddies International all of the money made from Max’s Garage 1st Road Trip collection. On April 22, 2022, the first Road Trip collection came out and sold out in 15 hours. After that, a car auction for Max’s Fire Truck was held. It was sold to Cindy, whose Twitter handle is @Cindyth1 nft, for $2,969 USD (1 ETH at the time). Plowden also worked with Ira Magnusson’s Ugly Sweaters, another NFT project. On April 24, Plowden made an honorary NFT of two bears from Magnusson’s collection taking a road trip in a VW-style van. Best Buddies Pennsylvania got almost $7,600 from Max’s Garage’s first Road Trip collection.
“Creating Max’s Garage showed me that there are some great people in this world that wanted to support what I started.” Plowden said. Mike Cannings and Ashley Bestos of Lyke Island, a growing NFT collection, contacted Plowden to offer support for Max’s Garage’s debut and a $1,000 donation to Best Buddies Pennsylvania. The intellectual property from “Pippin’s Farm,” one of Lyke Island’s NFTs, was lent. In the first Road Trip collection, Plowden used the green tractor as a utility vehicle.
On May 23, 2023, Dave Plowden and Max took the check to the Best Buddies office in Pittsburgh. Director of Development Samantha Civitate met them. The $7,638.49 that was raised for Best Buddies Pittsburgh will pay for a cooking competition where well-known Pittsburgh chefs and people with intellectual disabilities will work together to learn new cooking skills and have a good time.
The person who made the whole collection
David Plowden is an artist who lives in New York and works as the VP of Marketing for the FITCRUNCH protein bar company, which is owned by Chef Robert Irvine. His ability to reach out to people, get them involved, and be creative have all come together in this project to make a truly important collection. He has been in the marketing business for more than 15 years and has always loved painting and making art. Even though he had a hard childhood, as an artist he has always been committed to helping people through his work. The main thing he wants to do is help and serve kids who need it.
What’s the next step? Keeping the Good Will Alive
In September 2022, Plowden plans to send out a group of food trucks for the 2nd Road Trip. All of the money made will go to No Kid Hungry. After that, there will be a Christmas toy drive near the end of the year. The goal of the initiative is to grow and reach as many people as possible. It has a big heart and a lot of creative ideas.
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