Little Evan Matthews loved the limited edition Coco Pops Croc Prints so much colleagues at our Halifax store were determined to help when they heard how distraught he was when his mum found they’d been discontinued and she couldn’t get them for him.
Six-year-old Evan has autism and sensory problems that mean he likes routine and is reluctant to try anything new. So there were smiles all round when Kellogg’s responded to an appeal from the store’s community champion Amanda Clegg and managed to track down the last remaining boxes for him.
His mum Laura said: “Everyone’s been amazing in helping me to source some more boxes. We can’t thank Amanda, Asda and Kellogg’s enough.”
“Food is a huge issue for Evan and he eats the same meals everyday – partly because his autism means he likes routines, but also because he has sensory problems which means he is extremely reluctant to try anything new.
“It can be an absolute nightmare so obviously when we heard that the cereal were being discontinued we were gutted. It’s the only cereal he will eat and has been his favourite now since he was a toddler. He eats it dry every morning, no milk, and from the same bowl.”
The mission to track down the cereal started when Amanda spotted Evan and Laura searching for a box in our Halifax store. After realising there were none left, Amanda asked colleagues at Asda’s head office if they could help.
They got in touch with Kellogg’s who managed to track down 20 boxes in their Manchester factory and arranged for them to be sent to the store for Evan and his mum to collect.
The delivery arrived with this letter from Coco the Monkey:
Amanda said: "I saw Laura and Evan in the store and overheard them talking about his favourite cereal which they couldn’t find. I could tell that Laura was distressed.
“I knew I had to do everything I could – my son Isaac is two and is autistic so I understood exactly what Laura was going through. I’m just so happy that between ourselves and Kellogg’s we’ve been able to help Evan.”
Stewart Smith from Kellogg’s said the limited edition cereal has been delisted because of changes being made to the range, but that fortunately there was some spare stock in their warehouse.
He said: “We hope Evan enjoys his remaining boxes of Coco Pop Choc Prints, we were very happy to donate the cereal to him and make him smile.”
Having some extra boxes gives 33-year-old Laura and her husband Gareth time to help Evan prepare for when the supplies run out.
She said: "We have a bit longer to try and encourage him to find a new favourite cereal, because it will be a lengthy process and will be very upsetting for him.
“Evan has struggled with delayed speech and understanding and has dyspraxia and hypermobility. He has a lot of anxiety and needs to know what he is doing. He needs to plan the next day and even know what the weather will be like. But he is in mainstream school and is doing well.”
“It’s fantastic what Asda and Kellogg’s have done for Evan. He’s so happy.”
