Mom left daughter on playground while working at McDonalds 600 yards away

A South Carolina mom arrested for leaving her 9-year-old at a playground while she worked a shift at McDonald’s is now out of a job.

Debra Harrell was arrested for unlawful neglect of a child on June 30 when a stranger called police after finding the little girl alone on the North Augusta playground, a 600 yard walk from her mother’s workplace.

Another stranger has now taken up the mother’s cause and started a fundraiser for Harrell that has topped $30,000.

That’s a good for Harrell, since it’s been revealed the 46-year-old is now out of a job and her daughter, now in state custody, is at present without a mother.

On Tuesday, Harrell’s attorney Robert Phillips told the Huffington Post that Harrell had been let go from her job, but that he didn’t know why.

‘She is currently unemployed,’ he said.

However, McDonald’s spokesperson Lisa McComb maintained that Harrell’s lack of a job was not the company’s doing.

‘It would not be appropriate to discuss an employment matter in the media, but I can confirm that this employee has not been terminated,’ McComb wrote in statement.

While the reason behind her joblessness is unclear, Harrell quite clearly needed the work enough to leave her daughter unattended in a playground.

But many critics who initially judged her for her apparently heartless action have likely since given Harrell the benefit of a doubt.

One woman, a complete stranger to Harrell, has become especially wrapped up in the working mom’s cause and started a fundraiser to support her with huge success.

That woman, Clair Ryan, makes the case for supporting Harrell on a YouCaring page she’s set up for that purpose.

Ryan says Harrell only chose to send her daughter to the playground after the laptop computer the 9-year-old once played on in the restaurant while her mother worked was stolen from their home.

Ryan’s YouCaring page for Harrell had already tripled its $10,000 goal. And with 21 days to go and support building for the mother, she and her daughter will likely get far more than $30,000.

Which is more than enough to get the little girl a new computer and into a good summer camp or day care.

While Harrell may have those blessings to look forward to, for now she remains out of jail on bond as she awaits trial, her daughter languishing in the state’s care.

‘Taking her daughter away has also surely been a slap in the face to Debra, writes Ryan. ‘It sends a message that as a working mom, all her efforts are just not good enough.’

Read more at The DailyMail Online.