Stranger buys 1,000 cookies from MN girl scout – then gives them away

(FOX 9) - Girl Scout cookies are as American as apple pie. As the annual cookie-selling season comes to an end, one local scout and her troop are enjoying sweet success thanks to the generosity of a stranger. 

Aubrey Byrd is a member of Girl Scout Troop 18711. During an interview, Byrd told FOX 9's Bisi Onile-Ere, "I like hanging out with all of my friends and camping and being able to do a lot of fun things."

Those fun things include taking part in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. It’s an annual tradition that Byrd says comes with sweet incentives. "Because if you sell all of the cookies that you need to, then we can go on a really big trip that everyone agrees on and we get to pick it, and it’s probably the most fun time of the whole year," said Byrd.

Last week, the 11-year-old met her biggest cookie customer of the year when she and her family set up shop at a restaurant in the west metro.

"There was a guy named Daniel, and he bought all of my cookies," said Byrd.

Daniel, who lives out of town, shelled out $300 for the remainder of Byrd's load. That's 50 boxes, amounting to roughly 1,000 cookies.

"I just thought it was amazing. You see these things in movies, you don’t ever get to experience them. So we were all almost crying at that point," said Byrd's mom Heather Byrd. And Daniel’s generosity didn’t end there.  Patrons and restaurant staff were also in for a treat.

"When he bought all of those boxes he said, ‘I don’t want to keep them I want you guys to give them out and put smiles on everyone else’s faces,’" said Heather. Byrd said, "And I just was… I didn’t even know what to say at that point at all. I was smiling and laughing that whole time, I was so happy."

For Byrd, it's proof good things can sometimes come in small packages and also leave a big impact. "I would say thank you for showing so much kindness and support to Aubrey and just being kind and nice. You don’t see that anymore so, thanks Dan," said Heather.

A large portion of the profits is invested in the troops.  Cookie sales end on March 31.