There were 40 bags of ketchup chips in the back of Rich Lieberman’s vintage army jeep when he left Niagara Falls, Ont., with his son Jacob in July.
But in recent weeks, the American father-son pair have received more than they could ever have imagined.
“We have way too much,” Lieberman posted to Facebook in mid-August.
Their two-day road trip saw them travel from Virginia to a No Frills in Niagara Falls to buy a year’s worth of ketchup chips for 15-year-old Jacob, since they can’t get the Canadian snack at home.
An online post about the trip went viral, much to the delight of Jacob, who is deaf and legally blind.
After the family got home, No Frills said it would send them a gift.
“No Frills thought Jacob didn’t get enough chips a couple weeks ago when visiting their store in Niagara Falls. They just shipped him NINE CASES of various [flavours] of chips,” Lieberman wrote on Facebook on July 31.
“He and mom will have a sampling party at dinner tonight.”
Jacob had a chance to try all-dressed chips in that shipment and liked them, but not as much as ketchup chips, according to Lieberman.
Not long after that, Old Dutch Foods sent them a shipment of chips.
“Jacob said the chips are great and now we will be getting some of these with the other brand next summer,” Lieberman posted to Facebook.
Then came a delivery from Heinz, which included boxes of bottled ketchup and bright red shirts with the words “Annual Lieberman Ketchup Crew Road Trip” on the front.
“The shirts are what he smiled most about. Next was all that ketchup,” Lieberman wrote online.
They’re still expecting a care package with Lay’s chips, but what they already received has been too much for them.
Rich Lieberman went on a two-day road trip with his 15-year-old deaf and legally blind son, Jacob, to stock up on Jacob’s favourite chips.
Lieberman told CBC Hamilton his family started donating the snacks to families in need.
“We have actually donated each shipment to different schools after trying the different chips,” he said.
“I am currently researching several soup kitchen-type places in our area and will donate most of the ketchup there.”
He said experiencing food insecurity as a young adult also motivated him to share the gifts with others.
But there’s also been another gift since the trip — the family has gained somewhat of a celebrity status.
“Jacob is frequently recognized at his new high school and it always makes him smile,” Lieberman told CBC Hamilton.
“Recently I have been recognized as the ketchup guy. Found it funny, especially since I don’t like ketchup.”