William Shatner helps find special mac and cheese for autistic boy

Anna Iovine

On Sunday, father Reed Botwright posted on Instagram with a simple plea:

Okay, this is a bit of a call for help. I'm putting this out to the interwebz and social netz for some assistance. As many of you know, this cutey here, Everett, is a truly unique little dude. He's on the autism spectrum and one of his quirks revolves around food. He doesn't each much, if anything, at all. It's a struggle to get him his essential nutrients, and unlike most kids, no amount of "tough love" or "no treats until you eat your veggies" will work to coerce him to expand his diet. So, when we go through the grocery store and he says, "I want to try that," we rejoice! And, thanks to the power of marketing, he gravitated towards this Star Wars Kraft Dinner. Now, it's never a slam dunk once he's found something as to whether or not he will actually eat it. But he love this stuff! But here's the rub: we bought a ton of this, all we could find, at the local Walmart. Here is Everett holding the last box we could find in Nanaimo! This is where we need your help. Do you know where we can find more? We're desperate! See it in a store? Tell us, and we'll go there! Have some left over? Send it to us, we'll pay! Know someone who works at the Kraft factory? Don't do anything illegal, but if a box just happens to fall off of a truck, I know a redhead who would be very happy... All kidding aside, anything you can do to help is hugely appreciated! Tag friends, share and spread this to the far reaches of the webz! These were on the shelf not too long ago, so I think the odds are good we can find them somewhere. Thank you all!

A post shared by @reedbotwright on Feb 12, 2017 at 3:33pm PST

His son, Everett, is autistic and does not eat many foods. One day, he discovered Star Wars Kraft Dinner -- and he loved it. The only problem, though, is that the mac and cheese is limited edition.

The photo he shared is Everett holding the last box his parents could find. Botwright sent a call out to see if anyone knows where else this mac and cheese is. "Don't do anything illegal," he joked, "but if a box just happens to fall off of a truck, I know a redhead who would be very happy."

Soon, Botwright's ask was covered by local news. A user on Twitter saw the story and -- perhaps mistaking Star Wars for Star Trek -- asked Trek actor William Shatner for help.

Shatner asked his followers and Kraft foods if they can find the little boy his favorite food.

The response that Botwright received was amazing:

It wasn't just those online who found the product; Kraft heard Botwright's request as well. According to CBC News, the company managed to track down 144 boxes of the limited edition mac and cheese. Av Maharaj, Kraft Heinz vice-president of corporate and legal affairs, said Kraft will ship it to Botwright for free.

The father's hunt thankfully has a happy ending -- and he now has a seemingly life-long supply of mac and cheese.

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