It hurts Melanie Martin to think about her kids getting teased at school.

They have been through so much and now must rebuff the taunts of their peers, who don't understand why the Martin family is homeless and forced to accept handouts from strangers.

"They tell me, 'The kids tease me,'" Martin said. "They would like to have their own house."

Martin, 30, her husband and three children were evicted in June from a Kalihi apartment, where they paid $650 a month. They could not find an affordable house and so relied on relatives for temporary shelter.

In September, the family was invited to move into one room at the Ohana Family of Living God church. But they had to leave yesterday, and are now without shelter again. They planned to treat themselves to a motel room for Thanksgiving.

Martin's wish list includes getting help to find a permanent home, clothes for her children, and maybe some toys for Christmas.

Her family is one that will benefit from The Advertiser's Christmas Fund, which, with Helping Hands Hawai'i, distributes in-kind donations and thousands of dollars to families in need. The Advertiser Christmas Fund has been around for more than half a century, brightening the holidays for so many children and their parents.

Beginning today, The Advertiser is publishing stories that profile families in need. The families represent only a fraction of those helped by the fund.

It's telling when families ask for things like beds or cribs for Christmas.

Or when kids want new clothes and shoes instead of toys.

It's also heartbreaking, said Brian Schatz, executive director of Helping Hands Hawai'i. "A lot of our neighbors are quietly struggling," he said.

And more than ever, he said, poor families are simply unable to cover the basics — everything from diapers and baby wipes to pots and pans — after paying the rent.

"We get a lot fewer requests for what would traditionally be considered Christmas gifts," Schatz said. "It's a challenge for people to find enough money for the ... rent. What people are thinking about is basic household items."

FAMILY GETS A BREAK

The Martin family does have some good news: After nearly three years of unemployment, Martin's husband got a job in September.

Now, he leaves at 4 a.m. and works 10 hours a day, six days a week at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. During the day, Martin takes care of her 1-year-old and shuttles her daughter, 12, and 6-year-old son to school.

Martin said the family is grateful for what they have, which is mostly each other.

They have no leads in their house search. Martin is pregnant, and the family's fourth child is due in March. For Christmas, she said, she wants a house. While they were at the church, the kids were happier and felt more secure.

Now that they're back on the streets, they don't know where they'll stay the night.

In addition to any help finding a home, the Martin family is asking for donations of clothes and shoes for the kids. The 12-year-old girl wears an adult size 5 or 6 and medium shirts, and the 6-year-old wears a boy's size 10 or 12 and medium shirts.

The 1-year-old is in "3T."

All three kids would welcome any toys, and her 6-year-old has been asking for a bike, she said. Also, Martin's husband could use work clothes. He wears a size-34-waist pants and a large shirt. Martin wears a women's size 9 and medium shirts.

She will need maternity wear for later in her pregnancy.

THE SECRET SANTA

For each of the past five years, the Christmas Fund has raised more than $100,000 from readers who wanted to make the holidays merrier for struggling families. In 2005, the fund raised a record $218,149.44, almost $34,000 more than the previous year.

One generous Hawai'i resident, who has been dubbed the fund's "Secret Santa," has matched the first $25 of each donation for more than a decade.

Last year, he donated $36,000.

Besides individuals, companies, community groups and schools also have contributed. For a class project last year, fourth-graders at Moanalua Elementary School raised $160.

"We were talking about compassion and citizenship," said teacher Colleen Diorec, who read daily profiles of needy families to her students and watched as they were filled with the urge to help. "Afterwards, they really felt good."

Jennie Marks, who lives on Nu'uanu Avenue, was on the receiving end of the fund in 2005 — and was overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers.

"I grew up in an abusive household ... went through a divorce while raising two teenage daughters and a young daughter myself, and have been homeless numerous times," Marks said in a Nov. 9 letter to The Advertiser.

"Please let your readers know that their generosity and caring help ... those of us who are going through rough times. Their thoughtfulness and love give us hope."

Susan Doyle, president of Aloha United Way, said the power of the Christmas Fund is in its stories: Readers get a chance to learn about the personal, ongoing and daily struggles of families in their community.

"It reminds people of what human stories are out there, and that they can help," Doyle said.

"Every individual can do something."

NEED MAY BE INCREASING

Doyle said there are plenty of people — perhaps more than ever — who need a hand up this holiday season, despite the low unemployment rate.

A rising cost of living, from rent to utilities, is most affecting those who have the least flexibility in their budgets. This year, the top request to the United Way's 211 service was for health insurance. The second-most-common request was for food.

"You'd think in a community of our size and resources that we wouldn't have hungry people," Doyle said. "To think that we do is pretty sobering."

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.