MANSFIELD — A rainbow sprang across the sky Friday morning an hour into the 21st annual Make A Difference Food Day Drive.
It was as if Doc Stumbo was smiling down on the charitable effort he helped spark more than two decades ago.
The retired auto worker, UAW leader and longtime community activist was ill Friday and couldn’t attend the event in person for the first time.
But his spirit was there in the army of volunteers he has recruited to the effort.
A Shelby resident, Stumbo’s event that now helps to restock the shelves for Catholic Charities and also at Wayfinders, a homeless shelter in Mansfield formerly known as Harmony House.
Donations were accepted Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. in front of Dan Lew Exchange/DLX on North Park Street in Mansfield’s Central Park.
Residents could also donate non-perishable food items, toiletries and paper products, as well as cash and checks made payable to either Catholic Charities or Wayfinders.
Workers at the event, including representatives from Stumbo’s beloved local labor unions, could also accept donations via credit and debit cards during the three-hour drive.
Donations can be made directly at either Catholic Charities (2 Smith Ave.) or Wayfinders (124 E. Third St.) from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Stumbo is a West Virginia native who moved to Shelby in 1958 and went to work for General Motors after serving in the military.
He has said previously he believes Richland County residents always come through for neighbors in need.
“People in Richland County are the greatest bunch of people I ever knew or will know,” Stumbo has said.
Those people turned out on Friday for Doc and his favorite cause.
(Photos from Friday morning during the 21st annual Make a Difference Food Drive outside DLX in downtown Mansfield.)
