Nygia Edwards and her family are active in their church, which helps support them.
Nygia Edwards, 36
Columbia, Mo.
Nygia Edwards has devoted herself to her church and it has helped her and her family through tough times.
Though her husband works for the city of Columbia, he does not earn enough to keep their family of seven out of poverty. Edwards is recovering from cancer, an appendectomy and a car accident. They get by on food stamps, federal housing assistance, and Social Security disability payments.
But even this isn't always enough to support their large family. So their Baptist church recently donated clothes to each of their five girls. Parishioners also provide tutoring for the children, who benefited from the Head Start school readiness program.
Edwards hopes to return to school soon and then land a job so she can provide more for her daughters.
"It makes me feel like I failed my family," said Edwards, who spent her early years in a New Orleans housing project. "I want to provide a better life for them. They deserve it. They are really good kids."
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