Thanksgiving hero gets some thanks

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Apr 16, 2008 | by Jenelle Black

Feeding the hungry is a big challenge, but the desire to help the community came naturally for Dan McClosky, and it all started with turkeys.

It was Thanksgiving 1998, and McClosky read a newspaper article about turkey shortages. He asked a friend to match him dollar for dollar to raise money for a local food bank. Their efforts netted $550, enough to buy 55 turkeys.

The following year, McClosky raised $13,000 with the help of Temple Sinai in Oakland.

"Thanksgiving means a lot, and I thought there is something we can do," said McClosky of Oakland.

Since then, McClosky and other volunteers have collected food and raised

$405,000 from 15 synagogues, including Temple Sinai, Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco and Temple Israel in Alameda. All of it goes to local food banks to feed the less fortunate.

"He has greatly (expanded) the project almost singlehandedly," said Rabbi Steven Chester of Temple Sinai.

In February, McClosky was rewarded for his efforts by Tyson Foods and named a "Hunger All-Star." The Alameda County Community Food Bank nominated him for his efforts and his fund raising prowess. Tyson Foods has also donated 1,000 pounds of protein to one of McClosky's favorite charities and 30,000 pounds of protein to Alameda County Community Food Bank.

"He shows that one person can truly make a difference, and his efforts have made a tremendous impact," said Barbara Darrow-Blake, director of development and marketing for Alameda County Community Food Bank.

McClosky was touched by the recognition.

"This is the nicest award I have ever received," he said.