Eric likes to spread it around

ERIC McKay, 15, really, really likes peanut butter.

He prefers it with jelly slathered on two English muffins each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. His mother, Tracy McKay, said he goes through a jar every three days. But his supply was running low.

Eric, who has autism, tweeted to grocery store chain Lidl to ask when peanut butter would go on sale again.

His mother bought 72 jars last February at their store’s grand opening. The company responded with a challenge: get 72 000 retweets and in exchange it would give him a lifetime supply of store-brand peanut butter. He succeeded.

With his father, a furloughed federal worker, at his side at the Lidl store in Dumfries, Virginia, Eric and his family gave away several peanut butter jars this week to other workers laid off during the longest government shutdown in US history.

Eric is planning another peanut butter giveaway today.

His mother said her family, including Eric’s three teenage siblings, have been living “on a shoestring” since the partial shutdown.

She said Eric, who goes by the nickname “Bean”, told her he wanted to give away the peanut butter because “my dad is stuck at home. We don’t have any income, but we do have peanut butter, so we should share it”.

Tracy said, “To him, it was the obvious thing to do.”

His mother said Eric’s preference for a particular food isn’t uncommon for people with autism, who can be sensitive to tastes, textures and sounds.

She said they often choose to narrow their diets to foods they’re comfortable with.

For Eric, that’s peanut butter.

The challenge started after his mom bought six cases of Lidl peanut butter when it was on sale at the Virginia store for 78 cents (R11) a jar. There was no limit, so she bought as much as she thought they could eat.

She said Eric numbered the jars and put them in their basement.

When Eric told his mother about his supply running low, she suggested he tweet to Lidl to ask when it would be on sale again.

But the store upped the ante with its challenge.

He now has more than 2 200 followers on Twitter.

But his message really took off when British author Neil Gaiman and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky retweeted it.

Tracy said Eric’s goal took off when Gaiman “didn’t just retweet it, but he engaged and talked about autism and people having food sensitivities”.

His mom said Lidl gave Eric a “peanut butter card”, so he can get more when he needs it, but Eric said he wanted to share it with others, especially furloughed federal workers like his father.

She said Eric’s peanut butter challenge has spawned mostly positive reactions on social media. On Twitter, @illumiwookie wrote, “Bean for Prez, 20Whatever. You’re a good human.”

Eric’s siblings also helped in retweeting Eric’s message.

Tracy said she “couldn’t be prouder” of Eric and his efforts, and her husband “is as pleased as punch.”

After the teenager’s first peanut butter giveaway on Wednesday, Eric got in the car to go home with his mother and said, “Mom, that just felt so good.” | The Washington Post