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Homeless Single Mother Receives More Than $60,000 in Online Donations

Shanesha Taylor, a homeless single mother from Arizona, has received more than $60,000 in online donations for bail, after being arrested on March 20.

(Photo: Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

The plight of one homeless Arizona woman has inspired an outpouring of online support, resulting in a crowdfunding campaign that has raised more than $60,000.

Shanesha Taylor is facing two felony counts of child abuse after reportedly leaving her two young children in a hot vehicle while she interviewed for a job on March 20.

Amanda Bishop organized a fundraiser for the 35-year-old single mother through YouCaring.com to cover Taylor's bail, which was set at $9,000. The campaign quickly surpassed its goal, having netted $66,292, with 31 days left as of publication. Additional donations will go to "help Shanesha's situation and legal pursuits."

According to Bishop, the police have extended Taylor's detainment until March 31, despite her having gathered the bail money. 

"I'm just a 24-year-old girl struggling like Shanesha who set this up," wrote Bishop. "I never expected it to blow up this big but I'm still oh so glad it did."

"There are some of us that feel that Shanesha was in an unfortunate situation that sadly an economy like ours is putting many single mother's in a position to make terrible mistakes like this." [sic]

Regarding the incident, Taylor alleged that she could not afford a babysitter and needed to find employment as soon as possible. Local police reported that a witness heard a child crying inside a parked truck that was parked directly in the sun. The windows had been left slightly open.

Police on the scene arrested Taylor upon her returning to the truck and took her 2-year-old and 6-year-old sons into custody. The children are now in the custody of Child Protective services.

"She was upset. This is a sad situation all around," Scottsdale Police Sergeant Mark Clark told local media.

"She said she was homeless. She needed the job. Obviously not getting the job. So it's just a sad situation."

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