A dedicated Girl Scout in Pennsylvania has smashed the record for most cookies sold in a single season and isn’t letting anything stop her from earning the top prize.
Little 6-year-old Pim Neill sold nearly 87,000 boxes of the seasonal treat as of Saturday morning for her fundraiser, which started with the modest goal of selling enough cookies to earn a spot at scout camp.
“Pim is literally unstoppable,” Pim’s father, Luke Anorak-Neill, told People.
The young Pittsburgh scout had her eyes set on selling the most boxes within her group of 11 kindergartners. She then aimed to sell 5,000 boxes before setting her sights on breaking the state record then quickly aimed for selling over 10,000 boxes.
Her new goal is set for 100,000 boxes.
“Pim’s goal is 100,026 boxes so she can go to Girl Scout Camp this summer, go on adventures with her troop and bring some amazing service projects to her community,” Anorak-Neill wrote on Facebook on Friday night.
“Pim is hoping to sell ‘more cookies than anyone’ and we are tackling her goal a few (thousand) at a time. Pim has shattered several national records and is looking to crumble the world record for most boxes sold.”
Pim, currently a Daisy scout – the youngest of all scouts — began selling cookies on Tuesday, January 6, and by that Friday, she had sold 800 boxes, according to CBS News Pittsburgh.
The Girl Scouts’ cookie season often runs from January to April, the organization said.
The family has utilized Facebook and TikTok accounts to market the little girl’s ventures, updating followers on the daily count of cookies sold.
Anorak-Neill has shared the young girl’s adventures on social media, where he routinely tracks the number of cookies that Pim sold.
Anorak-Neill helped Pim by advertising on multiple Facebook groups and telling family members his daughter wanted cookie sales instead of Christmas gifts.
They have also gone the traditional route, going door-to-door offering the goodies.
“Pim has been out knocking on doors everyday after school and on the weekends so long as the weather allows. She calls people, hands out flyers, and asks everyone at church and community activities. We are excited to get preorders so she can deliver cookies and continue bringing joy! Place your order online today!” Anorak-Neill wrote.
The family has shared the online tracker for Pim’s cookie sales.
Pim faced delays joining a troop because of her late birthday and was then mocked because of her disabilities when she tried to join a group, a journey Anorak-Neill described as “brutal.”
“At one cookie booth, when we asked the adult ladies running the booth, before we knew anything about Girl Scouts, the one lady literally screamed at us (in front of all the girls) that my child’s disabilities would hold a troop back and that she didn’t want Pim in her troop,” Anorak-Neill told the outlet. “She told us to go find a playgroup for disabled kids.”
Pim had dreamed of joining the scouts since she was 3 years old, when she saw a group selling cookies.
When she eventually joined, Pim’s family feared she wouldn’t acclimate to the fast-paced lifestyle, but the fearless kinergartner proved everyone wrong.
“Pim’s first few meetings were very hard. Her disabilities were things we had to overcome, but everyone was supportive,” Anorak-Neill says. “I did all the background stuff and signed up as a troop leader so I would be able to go anywhere Pim goes to support her.”
Pim was dedicated to selling the most cookies after learning that the top prize was a trip to Niagara Falls, a place where Anorak-Neill was brought to by his partner, Don Neill, before moving from Idaho to Pennsylvania.
Neill collapsed last year and was hospitalized, jeopardizing the family trip to the natural landmark.
“Pim knows Niagara Falls is important. She wants to see it in person,” Anorak-Neill said.
The lifetime cookies record is currently held by motivational speaker Katie Francis, who sold 180,000 boxes between 2011 and 2020.
Francis also held the record for most sales in a single season until Lilly Bumpus sold over 32,000 in 2021, a record quickly demolished by Pim’s business.
“We aren’t sure what happened, so we can only try to sell more boxes,” Anorak-Neill said about his daughter’s incredible performance. “Friday morning, we watched the cookie counter. People were excited to help a 6-year-old crush a record that was literally set the season after she was born.”
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