Single Mom Says People Get Mad Because She Has 7 Kids, Pays No Bills & Gets $3K In Food Stamps A Month With Government Assistance
While her circumstances may be extreme, that doesn't give us a right to judge her.
Prostock-studio / Shutterstock Government assistance programs exist for the purpose of helping people. There are undoubtedly some who are able to game the system, but the majority of people using these programs truly need them.
People weren’t so sure that was true for one family.
A single mom said that people were mad that she got $3,000 a month in food stamps.
A TikTok user known as @blackbeauty_235 shared her circumstances with the world on the video-sharing app.
“Okay, y’all just mad because I get $3K in food stamps. So what?” she stated in one video. “I get all kind of snacks while I’m sitting here chilling or whatever.”
The woman’s welfare goes beyond just the food stamps. “Paying no bills,” she said. “No bills! I’m on government assistance.”
Fellow TikTokers were indeed mad. Many were downright mean.
“You are worthless,” said one person. “Stop breathing my air.”
“Dirtball scumbag,” someone else commented.
“You’re going places. Congratulations,” a third person chimed in sarcastically.
This mother was not deterred by these comments, however. Instead, it seemed to make her even more determined to post about her life with seven kids.
“So, y’all mad because I’m a single mother with seven kids,” she said in another video. “I’m raising them by myself. Yes, I get child support. I get help from the government. I’m gonna get all the help I need, baby.”
This woman is completely unashamed of the help she is receiving and of her life situation. She doesn’t let the hate get to her.
Is getting this much help legal?
Some people are undoubtedly wondering if it’s really legal, or even possible, to receive this much help from the government.
The food stamps program is now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. The amount of money you receive in SNAP benefits correlates to the number of people in your household.
This woman and her children live in a household of eight. According to the USDA website, the “maximum monthly allotment” for a family of eight is $1,751.
Based on these numbers, it’s not clear how this woman received $3,000 a month in SNAP benefits or food stamps, as she said.
While it’s unclear how much money this family received in other kinds of government assistance, it was clearly enough to live on.
Investopedia listed multiple government assistance programs that people can receive help from. They include unemployment insurance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), housing assistance and Medicaid.
This mom did not share exactly what assistance programs her family is benefitting from. However, since it essentially replaces income for them, it is safe to assume they use multiple different programs.
This woman and her family do not deserve judgment for the way they are making ends meet.
@blackbeauty_235 got plenty of rude and hateful comments on her TikTok videos just showing how she feeds her kids.
“You are a burden to society,” one person said.
“I’m glad you’re not struggling,” another added. “I sure am because apparently busting my [expletive] 80 hours a week pays for your stuff instead of mine.”
It is easy to look at this family and judge them — to think they are living on the government’s dime, that they aren’t doing enough to take care of themselves, or that they are even taking money and assistance from others.
While some will certainly have these opinions, it may be better to keep an open mind. Everyone does what is necessary to take care of their families, and at the end of the day, the health and well-being of her children is what truly matters.
This family is simply doing their best. No one knows their exact situation, and no one can ask any more of them.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.