A donation of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle by Sagebrush Ranch brothel owner Marvin Gates has helped raise more than $29,000 for a skate park in Dayton.

Gates and the owners of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch and the Kit Kat brothels in Mound House also have combined to donate $1,000 to the Lyon County Human Services’ food bank.

“Everybody has had such bad luck by what happened on Sept. 11,” Gates said. “We hate to see anybody go hungry and the Lyon County Food Services people are just wonderful.”

The brothel owners pledge to donate more money to the food bank if needed.

“Every once in a while, businesses are needed to step up and share,” Gates said. “We will be there in the future if they run out of food.”

The donation to the food bank was sorely needed, since the Lyon County food bank had run out of food just before Thanksgiving.

Food bank officials also were concerned about the amount of food that will have to be given away to needy families at Christmas.

“The amount will directly benefit local families struggling to feed their families,” said food bank coordinator Tammy Lambeth.

Gates presented a check for $29,975 two weeks ago to Jannette Hoffert, the administrator for the Central Lyon County Parks Division, for the skate park in Dayton. The raffle for the motorcycle began last March, Gates said, and ended in November.

“It was great,” Gates said. “I was really happy to do it.”

The Dayton skate park project began months ago when Dayton Valley youths approached Hoffert and said they would be willing to help raise funds for the project. The money from the motorcycle raffle put the project “over the top,” Gates said.

“It gives us enough money to get started,” he said. “But there is more money that still needs to be raised.”