A hush falls over the funeral parlor. Then, a honey, golden voice rises regally in the silence, and the words of Mahalia Jackson’s “Troubles of the World” filter through the room. It is the 35th time Edwina Hubert has sung at a funeral this year.

Singing is not part of her official duties as Decedent Affairs Clerk at the Miami Veteran’s Administration Hospital. It is something she loves to do, and an act of service that seems entirely in character once you get to know her.

Edwina is one of more than 500 federal employees the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) helped with a no-interest emergency loan over the past year. Last spring, Edwina needed to relocate, but found it hard to come by the funds. One of her friends at work gave her FEEA’s number, and she immediately reached Rosanne Martillaro, FEEA’s Emergency Assistance Director.

Edwina says, “I was so touched with Rosanne’s caring and concern and the way she helped me through the process. It got me thinking that there are a lot of single women out there like me who make too much money to qualify for government programs, but not enough to cover all our expenses. Lots of times, women like us fall through the cracks.”