A woman has ignited a wave of support after she stole diapers despite a pay increase that culminated in her benefits being cut.

The viral Reddit post has garnered 7,100 upvotes and 900 comments, and it’s titled, “I got a raise, and my government benefits were cut. I had to steal diapers for my child today.” Redditor @NoOccasion2633 shared the post to the subreddit “Antiwork” on June 28, and it has been turning heads ever since.

The original poster (OP) revealed she received a raise, going from making $9.50 to $15.25 an hour. The worker had to report the new income to her social worker, and according to social services in her state, she makes “too much to continue to receive the $362 a month we were getting in SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits.”

Not only that, but her daycare assistance was also “drastically cut,” and her Medicaid was “cut” as well. However, the OP’s daughter still has her Medicaid coverage, and she still gets WIC, or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

The OP continued: “But it isn’t enough. With the rising cost of grocery prices, I’m having to suddenly juggle bills, pay out of pocket for my own medication, find and go to food banks while trying to plan around my work schedule. Like I am not doing OK at all. My daughter’s father is supposed to pay a certain amount in child support, but the state ‘can’t find him,’ so he’s skipped out on several payments. m struggling just to get my head above water.”

A woman who stole diapers after getting an hourly raise has found support. Here, a mom puts a diaper on her child.
URILUX/GETTY

The Redditor revealed she “had to steal diapers” the day she posted, and she admitted to feeling “so low about it.” The OP thought she had enough funds to cover the diapers, but she didn’t. She explained that she has less than $20 in her bank account, and her daughter had two diapers left.

The woman continued: “I feel so bad, so guilty, but it was either stick a small package of diapers under my purse and walk out, or my kid goes without diapers. I even called her pediatrician’s office to see if they had any to spare, and I was told they didn’t do that. I feel so awful. I don’t ever want to be in this position again. It f**king sucks. Something has got to give. It’s got to get better, right?”

As many people have probably taken note of, the cost of food has increased, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping, as all food prices are predicted to go up by 7.5 percent and 8.5 percent for the year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture in an update to the Food Price Outlook. In addition, “food-away-from-home” pricing is predicted to rise by 6 and 7 percent, whereas “food-at-home prices” are expected to go up by 8.5 and 9.5 percent as well.

The increased cost isn’t good news for people living on budgets or paycheck to paycheck. Add that to the skyrocketing costs of fuel and housing, and it’s a lot for consumers to grapple with.

Some people utilize assistance available to them, such as through SNAP. Although it’s a federal program, there are differences based on which state you’re in, according to Investopedia.

All 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, offer SNAP benefits, and a number of items can be bought through the program, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, bread and cereal, snack foods, beverages (non-alcoholic), and seeds and plants considered “food-producing.”

There are a number of qualifications to participate in the program, including the household income for the month being at or below 130 percent of the poverty line. Households with certain criteria are exempt from this qualification, however.

In addition, the household net income has to be at or below the poverty line after deductions are accounted for as well. There are also requirements for assets, and a household with someone with a disability or an older member has to have $2,500 or less in assets, whereas families without can’t have more than $3,750 in assets.

In an edit, the woman added: “I didn’t make this post with the intention of getting anything from anyone on this sub. I honestly didn’t think it’d get as popular as it did. I honestly thought about just deleting it , but I’m glad I didn’t because it feels good to know I’m [not] alone.”

The OP also added her Amazon wish list as people had asked for information, which included her Venmo and PayPal information as well. She also took the time to thank readers and said she appreciated it “beyond words.”

Numerous comments poured into the viral post, and many people had sympathy for the woman’s situation. Some offered up solutions on what the OP should do, and others wanted to outright help the woman.

“I would like to help you out. Do you have an Amazon link of things your daughter needs?” a Redditor asked. Another user added, “If you create an Amazon wish list like this, I will also chip in for some groceries. Add what you need to the list.”

Redditors offered to send diapers to the worker to help her out as well. “I have some cloth diapers I would be happy to send you if you like,” a user wrote. “Or anyone who is in need [of] diapers.”

Another user said what the woman did was “survival,” insisting, “You didn’t steal s**t. Repeat that. You didn’t steal anything. If you need it to keep your kids healthy and whole, it’s not theft , it’s survival. Never feel bad about doing what you have to do to keep your head above water.”

Some people called out the government, and one Redditor thought this is what occurs when assistance programs “are written by branded politicians who don’t know how numbers work.” They insisted the woman shouldn’t “feel bad about the diapers either,” adding, “If the system doesn’t want you taking something as simple as diapers, then they should have met your needs.”

Others thought the woman shouldn’t feel guilty for stealing the diapers. “You should not feel guilty, this is capitalism. Playing fair will only result in us losing,” on commenter said.

The OP isn’t alone, and other people have experienced similar predicaments as well. “This happened to me before,” a Redditor expressed. “It sucks. It was only like a $0.25 raise too, but say goodbye to Medicaid! Say goodbye to [the] government phone! Because somehow now with a $0.25 raise I can afford everything!”

Another Redditor relayed that “poverty limits are a joke,” and they also thought, “These clowns of politicians should get their annual salary the same as the minimum wage.”

One user thought this is the exact “problem with government assistance,” adding, “The thresholds are so low it actually gives people incentives to not work because if they do, they lose benefits.”

Newsweek reached out to Redditor @NoOccasion2633 for comment.

This isn’t the only viral post involving workers. A man was praised for ditching an interview over a remote working lie. A list of tasks a worker must complete in one hour or get fired has annoyed the internet. In addition, a worker found support after his job forced him to remove his pride flag from his desk.