Just five months ago, Tammy Tagudin, her husband and three children were homeless, living at Poka'i Bay.

Today, the Tagudin family lives in a clean two-bedroom apartment in Makaha. The rent is a lot, but it does include electricity and water. After the $1,200-a-month rent is paid, her husband Tiso's salary is gone.

And when Tammy Tagudin's disability check runs out, she hits the food bank at least twice a month just to keep meals on the table.

"It was rough being homeless," said Tagudin, 44. "I thank the Lord we are here now, especially with all that rain and stuff."

Because of 47-year-old Tiso Tagudin's full-time job as a security guard, the family doesn't qualify for welfare assistance. With the price of a 20-pound bag of rice topping $13, even on sale, it's tough to ensure everyone gets enough food, let alone give money to her daughter for field trips, or to buy a Christmas tree.

Her children, 16, 15 and 12, are all doing well at school, Tagudin said.

"Sometimes I starve myself so there's enough food for my kids," Tagudin said.

If someone adopts the family, Tagudin hopes to receive a gift card to Tamura's, a store within walking distance of her home. She is in great need of toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, soap and toothpaste. Those are the things that cost a lot, she said. And if a Christmas fairy comes forward, she would love a gift card to Zippy's or Red Lobster, where she and her family can go for a dinner out. There's never any money for a dinner out. Maybe McDonald's, but even that is rare, she said.

"Everything is so expensive," she said. "I tell my kids that we just don't have the money for things. I explain to them. They understand that my goal is to make sure they have food in their bellies, a roof over their heads and clothes on their back."