A man to be thankful for

Thousands of Long Island families had a more abundant feast this Thanksgiving Day due in large part to the generosity of Robert Jesberger, proprietor of Mid Island Collision of Rockville Centre. At a festive celebration held on the business premises, Jesberger donated $50,000 worth of turkeys and other trimmings to help feed those in need.

Jesberger has been making life easier for families on Thanksgiving for more than 20 years. “As Long Islanders, we live in one of the wealthiest areas of the country, yet we still have people who are hungry,” he said. “I’ve been blessed by the good Lord above. The more I do for Him, the more He gives back to me. If we had more businesses do a little more to help, we’d have no shortage here on Long Island. We need others to get involved.”

The event, which was sponsored by KJOY 98.3, attracted hundreds of supporters, including Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, Village of Malverne Mayor Patti McDonald, Lynbrook Village Justice Bill McLaughlin and members of Lynbrook’s Village Board.

Long Island Cares, which was founded by the late singer, songwriter and social activist Harry Chapin, and Island Harvest, the largest hunger relief organization on Long Island, teamed with Jesberger, whose efforts were assisted by Brian McGauvran and all of his staff at Mid Island, to try to meet needs that are greater now than in past years. Earlier this month, Jesberger donated $10,000 to help build a new home for a severely wounded veteran.

Supervisor Murray was grateful for the efforts of all of those who pitched in. “In this economy, we know that the pain is getting deeper and deeper even in so-called wealthy Long Island,” Murray said. “The food banks are more stretched than ever. As fast as it’s collected, it’s going right out. It’s tremendous to have a corporate neighbor like Mid Island Collision step up to the plate and make such a sizable donation.”