Climber Takes Hunger Relief to New Heights

February 3, 2025

Sometimes facing a challenge can feel like climbing a mountain – but in Tony Drake’s case, he took that to heart and turned climbing a mountain into a hunger relief challenge.

In July of 2023, Tony and his 16-year-old son Anthony climbed the 13,775-foot Grand Teton, at the same time creating a unique and memorable fundraiser for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.

The adventure came about after dozens of conversations with Tony’s personal trainer, Ryan Toshner, who is a mountaineer along with his brother Derek. “And for years, they said, ‘You should climb Grand Teton with us.’ I’m like, ‘Guys, I’m a financial advisor from Wisconsin, I’m not climbing any mountains,’” Tony recalled. But since the age of 13, Tony had struggled with his weight, and finally in 2023, decided to take on the climb as a personal challenge to help with his fitness
and weight loss goals.

“I’ve always been mentally stimulated by things that make me wonder if I’m going to be able to do it,” said Tony, who promoted the climb on his “Retirement Ready” radio show on 620 WTMJ radio in Milwaukee. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin created a webpage where supporters could go to pledge donations and Tony’s company provided a match on each donation.

The climb “was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It was tough,” Tony said. Beyond the difficulty of the climb, there were more challenges: On the second day of  the climb – summit day – Tony’s son woke up with altitude sickness. He was able to push through while staying well-hydrated, but about halfway up, they learned that a 40-year-old hiker had just died at a difficult part of the trail they had yet to navigate.

“I think the gravity of that news hit me pretty hard at that moment,” Tony said. “Derek said to me, ‘Don’t worry, Tony, we’re just going to do one step, one breath, one section at a time,’ and I just started thinking about all the things in life I could apply that to.”

They passed through an area of craggy ‘chimneys’ where at one point there was a 6,000-foot drop. “Finally we got to the summit – it was incredible. I’m in tears, we’re hugging and exhausted. It was a major, major accomplishment,” Tony said.

They each burned over 13,000 calories during that 18-hour day. And ultimately, Tony’s Climb Against Hunger fundraiser raised more than $8,000 for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.

Tony, who founded Drake & Associates in 2002 and now has offices in Waukesha, Mequon, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, has worked with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin in several ways, including through client events, food collections, and volunteer food packing days. “To me, when I thought about teaming up with the organization, it was a no-brainer to me,” Tony said.

The oldest of three siblings, Tony grew up in Milwaukee with parents who were factory workers and “we certainly had what we needed, but I understood what it felt like to be right on the line of things going wrong and life taking a quick turn,” he said. “No matter where you are, there’s somebody that has it worse that you can probably help lift up. That’s been really important to me especially as I’ve had this success in my companies that I’d never dreamed.”

“The ability to help give back just in a tiny little way, it feels really good to feel like maybe you’re impacting some of those families and helping them have a better future.”