In 1996, Gary McDonald had it all: a thriving restaurant business in Pittsburgh, a house, two motorcycles and a Mercedes. And then he lost everything. He sold his restaurant to a friend, who unexpectedly drove the business into the ground. Within seven years, McDonald was left without a penny to his name. “I went from riches to rags,” he recalls. “I had to start over.”

The experience proved an awakening. McDonald soon began pursuing a new career—working for nonprofit organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Food Bank of Northern California. He later helped found Feeding America San Diego, a food bank that became the ninth largest non-medical nonprofit in the city. During the San Diego fire storms of 2007, he worked behind the scenes to distribute 500,000 pounds of food amongst evacuees. 

Currently, McDonald is the executive director of Lighthouse Counseling and Family Resource Center in Lincoln  a group that provides counseling, education programs and community resources at no cost to Placer County residents. On November 19, the organization will host their annual Celebrity Roast, a fund-raiser for the nonprofit’s family support programs (for tickets, call 916-645-3300). Looking back, McDonald couldn’t be happier with how his life has changed since 1996. “I was pretty unfulfilled in those days,” he confesses. “I [now realize] that the highest purpose is to serve. It’s not about what you can accumulate.”

 — Amber Foster