$540 Worth Of Girl Scout Cookies Bought By Man Who Didn't Want Troop To Stand In The Cold
UPDATE: The man who bought $540 worth of Girl Scout cookies so the girls wouldn't have to stand in the cold has been identified, but not in the way you might expect. According to a copy of an indicment posted by a South Carolina CBS news affiliate, his name is Detric Lee McGowan and he is a suspect in an on-going federal drug investigation in South Carolina. McGowan is charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine and fentanyl, racketeering, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. He was arrested February 26, four days after he was shown with the scouts in the viral photo and, according to CBS News, is currently in the custody of U.S. Marshals.
The Daily Meal contacted the Girl Scouts' national organization for more info. "Girl Scouts of the USA was saddened to learn of the unfortunate turn of events in South Carolina," a spokesperson told us. "We want to assure the public that all of our girls are currently safe, that all proper safety protocols were followed during the sale, and that at no time were any of our girls or volunteers threatened." The Daily Meal also reached out to Kayla Dillard, the mom who coordinates the troop's cookie sales. She declined to comment and has made her formerly public Facebook page private.
—————
ORIGINAL STORY: A good Samaritan is going viral for buying a ton of Girl Scout cookies, but not just because he had a sugar craving. The mother of an 8-year-old Girl Scout posted to Facebook that a stranger bought out her daughter's troop's entire cookie supply so that the young women wouldn't have to stand out in the cold.
10 Things You Didn't Know About Girl Scout Cookies
It was 34 degrees in Greenville, South Carolina, on February 22 where the troop was having their cookie sale. When the man first noticed the troop, he bought seven boxes of cookies.
According to Kayla Dillard, who manages cookie sales for her daughter's troop and who took the now-viral photo, "He came back to the table and said, 'Pack up all of your cookies. I'm taking them all so y'all can get out of this cold.'"
"$540 he spent on cookies. What an amazing soul!!!!" Dillard captioned the photo she posted to Facebook of the man posing with two troop members in the nearly freezing weather. The image has taken off with people all over the world remarking on the uplifting story and marveling at this man's generosity.
As of February 26 the sweet picture had over 26,000 likes, almost 1,500 comments and over 9,200 shares.
While the Greenville mom wasn't able to get this man's name, she told CBS that the man told her he owned several businesses and that he was going to bring the cookies he purchased to them. She confirmed to The Daily Meal that he purchased 128 boxes of cookies in total. "The girls were very excited, not just to go home, but about the sale in general. We were all shocked but thankful," she told us.
That seems like a lot, even though it's still less than what actor and recording artist Donald Glover purchased from a Girl Scout who rapped "Redbone" last year — but then again, Girl Scout cookies are pretty much the best cookies ever.
This story was first published February 26 and updated on February 27 to include the information about the arrest.