Matt Mills and his wife Jamey Young’s son Danny was diagnosed with autism at two years old and, like a lot of kids on the autism spectrum, he is very particular about the foods that he’ll eat. "We just slowly moved him up from a pureed food to a more gritty food, then to chopped food," Jamey says, “But it was very defeating.” So when they discovered that Danny liked his grandpa’s beef stew, they knew they were on to something and soon found he also enjoyed the classic Hormel brand cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew.
Before long, they were buying the cans by the case and Danny got to a place where he would go and get them for himself from the pantry. By the time he was five, Dinty Moore stew was a staple of his diet and the Mills were so relieved that Danny was eating well, that they wanted to reach out to the company that makes the stew to let them know what a difference it’s made for their family. "We just wanted to say thank you," Matt says.
Soon after receiving the message from Mills, a team from Hormel showed up to their Sault Ste. Marie home to deliver Dinty Moore t-shirts, a hat, blanket, and toys, as well as a year’s supply of stew for the eight-year-old. Dinty Moore's brand manager, Aly Sill, says Danny’s story was touching and that doing something to help the family was a no-brainer. They’ve also pledged to provide a second full year of the stew at no cost. The family is grateful for the support and even though Danny didn’t have much of a reaction to the stew supply, he has become very attached to his Dinty Moore hat and won’t leave the house without it.
Source-People
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