U-Haul recently welcomed Pennsylvania couple Randy and Shelly Thompson and their budding business, Centerfield Feeds, to the neighborhood dealership program.
But their story of sorrow, compassion, inspiration and action goes beyond bags of feed and truck rentals.
Centerfield Feeds at 17248 Barrens Road N. in Stewartstown, Pa., is named in honor of the Thompsons’ late son, Ryan, a baseball standout and center fielder. Ryan committed suicide in December 2012.
Now the Thompsons are on a mission to keep suicide awareness and prevention at the forefront of people’s minds, from the memory bracelets they wear to Shelly’s speaking engagements to the store’s display rack of suicide prevention brochures and the donation bucket benefiting the York County Suicide Prevention Coalition.
“It’s sad and you see it every day where people get to a point, such an ugly little place in life, thinking that’s the only way out,” Randy said.
U-Haul dealer Centerfield Feeds in Stewartstown, Pa.
“We’ve actually saved several lives – or at least we think we did. We have all the information that you can take with you. There are numbers to call. Call somebody. Call us. You need to talk to somebody to get through this.”
Gary Haber of the York Daily Record told the Thompsons’ story in a recent business piece. Please give it a read: ydr.com
Centerfield Feeds offers U-Haul trucks, towing equipment and support rental items. It is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday with after-hours drop-off available.
Reserve U-Haul products with the Thompsons by visiting Truck Rentals Near Stewartstown PA or calling (717) 993-3254 today.
Centerfield Feeds, which signed on with U-Haul in the spring, will hold an open house beginning at 8 a.m. local time Saturday (Aug. 1).
“We have vendors coming, we’re giving away prizes and stuff, having raffles going on and free food and drinks,” Randy said. “We’re going to show what all we have to offer as far as the sheds we sell and any kind of line of animal feed you can think of.”
Do you know someone who has benefited from suicide awareness and prevention efforts like those the Thompsons are pursuing at Centerfield Feeds? Please share in the comment box below.
