Novelist Louise Erdrich coined a term for those who were struggling before the economy flat lined, calling them America's "under poor."

Living below the poverty line, their basic needs have not lessened, but their incomes have. Erdrich reported on fathers whose wages have been cut back or cut out and whose weekend hunting is now more than sport. Meat from the kill is frozen for winter, but there is a new twist. The hunters sell deer, rabbit and squirrel meat to stoke their dwindling weekly paychecks.

Sadly, some women in the "under poor" bracket confess to becoming strippers, using their tips to buy groceries.

In this country, formerly described as "the land of plenty," families are living through tough times as the unemployment rate registers 10.2 percent. This past week, while holiday turkeys piled up in grocery stores, the Department of Agriculture published findings of a study on national nutrition.

In spite of a health care mandate to stem obesity in children, the study concluded there was a "lack of adequate nutrition" for 49 million Americans in 2008, an increase of 18 million people, who are either skipping meals or cutting portions because they can't afford to buy food their families need.

Nearly one-third fit in the "very low food security" category, meaning their take-home pay (if they're working) does not cover daily food costs. The other two-thirds said they are eating cheaper food and counting on government food stamps and community pantries to help them provide meals for their children.

The number of children living with "very low food security" rose to over 500,000. Twice as many African-American families have been hard hit by food "insecurities" as white households, though new numbers name former affluent whites as recipients of food stamps.

The South is suffering from "very low food security" more than other areas of the country, and in a cultural shift, black mothers are helping white mothers find their way to non-profit food banks.

The president has committed to ending child hunger in this country by 2015. As a prelude, public school cafeterias are revamping their lunches to provide more nutritious meals for students. No more surplus government butter will drive the menus.

For families, the road to good nutrition is complicated by job loss, lack of time and the seduction of quick fix food, cheap and filling, but unhealthy fare.

After shopping for Thanksgiving, I was asked to add money to my grocery tally to provide food for families needing help. I did, of course, but I was surprised by the choices for meals. No fresh fruits or vegetables. No meat from the meat counter.

The cashier explained fresh produce has a short shelf life and meals must be stored until they are given to families. "A canned ham for Thanksgiving is better than no ham at all," she reminded me. True.

In this season when we are eager to make things right in the world of children, I recall the Christmas setting in "Little Women," a book about a mother and her daughters, living alone while a father is off at war. With no crops planted, they dig and roast a few potatoes, the mainstay of their holiday meal.

Then the mother hears of a family with no food at all, and of children, hungry. Without a word, her daughters wrap the hot potatoes in a cloth, giving them to neighbors, who do not have a crust of bread.

In a perfect world, that scene would repeat itself in towns across the country, and, often, it does, as civic clubs and churches, neighborhoods and food pantries, gather food to share with those whom circumstance has dealt a bad hand.

But 500,000 children going to bed hungry is a nightmare that cannot be ended by good deeds alone. When the economic summit is held next month, creating jobs will own the discussions.

Unemployment is the villain causing too many of our children to suffer hunger pangs.

Judy Elliott is an award-winning columnist from Marietta.