KN Andereas and Jally Sally were living in Chuuk with their young son and daughter when Sally had a stroke early last year that left him disabled.

Because he was unable to receive the care he needed in Chuuk, Sally came to Hawai'i for medical treatment.

He was able to find temporary housing on O'ahu, but after three months, he was told to move out. By that time Andereas and the couple's 9-year-old son, Jackson, had come to help support and care for Sally, 42, during his months of physical therapy.

The family became homeless. In time, they sought refuge at a Honolulu emergency homeless shelter. Within a couple of months, they were able to move into a safer, more stable transitional shelter environment at Weinberg Village in Waimänalo. There, the couple sent for their 12-year-old daughter, Janet, to come be with them in hopes that together the family might speed Sally's recovery.

With Sally unable to work because of his limited range of motion, he is going to school to improve his English skills and better his chances for finding employment. KN, 40, has found a job at a fast-food restaurant to help pay the bills. Her minimum-wage income provides food and daily necessities, said Charnay Kalama, the family's case manager at Weinberg Village. But there is nothing left over for Christmas, and the couple would like their children to have a happy, meaningful holiday, she said.

"This family is humble and kind — an asset to the village," Kalama said. "Jally and KN are such jovial and giving people that they deserve to see that there are others in the world like them, willing to give without question."

They don't need much, they say. Some clothes, small household items and a holiday meal would make all the difference.

"I just want to have a happy Christmas filled with the love of family," said Andereas.