Stew Maker Packs Pantry for Parents of Boy with Autism, Who Struggled to Eat Before Finding a Favorite Meal

Any time Matt Mills starts his day feeling a little sluggish, both he and his wife, Jamey Young, know they can count on instant inspiration from their 8-year-old son Danny, who has autism.

“We’re like, ‘Oh man, life’s tough,’” Mills says. “But then you see him, and he’s got a disability, but he’s still smiling, and there’s no care in the world. And it’s like, wow! It’s very uplifting. He wakes up early, and he will stay up late. He’s got lots of energy, and he goes, goes, goes.”

That includes going to the kitchen — a lot.

“He’s like a seagull,” says Mills. “He eats every half hour, it seems. Every two hours, I swear, he’s going in that kitchen and getting something.”

And the second-grader — who loves bowling, running and being chased, swims in Lake Superior, wrestling his dad and shaking his mom to playfully wake her up — has a favorite meal that dominates his diet: Dinty Moore Beef Stew.

“It’s either oatmeal, canned spaghetti, or Dinty Moore,” says Mills.

Finding a favorite meal for their son lifted a burden on his parents, who’d struggled for years to find food Danny would eat as he grew. Mills wanted to share their appreciation with the makers of the stew and sent a message through the company’s Facebook page in early 2022.

“My son is autistic and obsessed with Dinty Moore beef stew,” he wrote. “I was wondering if you have any care packages or anything like that for such a big fan? He is non-verbal, and ‘Dinty Moore’ were some of his first words. He is seven, and he eats it so much that we call him Danny Moore.”

He didn’t really expect a reply. But managers at the brand, part of Hormel Foods, took note. Last June, a team showed up at the family’s home in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., loaded down with Dinty Moore-branded t-shirts (one of which was custom-printed “Danny” on the back), a “Danny Moore” customized stew can in a mini trophy case as well as a branded stocking hat, blanket and toy truck.

Best of all for the family, they delivered the first of a year’s supply of Dinty Moore stew.

“That was a big surprise,” says Mills, 40, a toll taker at the International Bridge that links Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. “When you live paycheck to paycheck, that really helps.”