Red Alert

LIHUE — If it feels like the window has shrunk, it has.

With Thanksgiving falling only three days before December, the time between Turkey Day and Christmas has been pinched by a week.

That’s less time to shop, get packages in the mail and even drop coins in a kettle.

“I’m assuming that’s the reason for the numbers being down drastically,” said Maj. John Chamness, divisional commander for The Salvation Army, the nonprofit organization whose red kettle bell campaign is one of the more recognizable holiday fundraising drives across the nation. “This is just not really here in Hawaii, this is nationwide.”

So far, dollars are down and coins are slow to come.

Donations to the bell-ringing campaign are down 30 percent this year compared to last, according to the nonprofit. In 2012, the drive netted approximately $985,000 in donations across the state. This year, it’s brought in $371,451.

At that rate, the nonprofit won’t hit last year’s totals, which was the goal for 2013.

And the condensed calendar could be to blame.

A week’s worth of bell ringing earns about $165,000 across the state — $20 million nationally. With a week less to work, the numbers suggest the goal may be difficult to meet.

“We’re concerned about the slow collections so far this year and how this will impact our ability to help those who are hurting here in Hawaii,” Chamness said Tuesday.

But, he added, the organization isn’t panicking. People are familiar with The Salvation Army’s cause, he said, so could respond to the call for action.

All Hawaii donations stay on the islands and help provide meals and shelter for families in need, as well as Christmas toys for thousands of children locally and many other services throughout the year. More than 135,000 people were assisted in Hawaii last year by The Salvation Army.

“One out of 10 residents in Hawaii receives help,” Chamness said of the faith-based nonprofit’s statewide reach. “The people in Hawaii know The Salvation Army does great stuff and they can count on us.”

It’s annual red kettle campaign, called Rock the Red Kettle this year, is as recognizable as any Christmas decorations around the holidays. Locally, bell ringers camped outside of stores said donations seemed on par with past years, and were unaware of a shortfall.

“That’s kind of bad. That’s really bad actually, (we) usually always hit our goals,” said Norma Cortez, ringing a bell outside of Times Supermarket in Lihue Tuesday.

She’s been ringing bells for the program as long as she’s been alive, the 61-year-old said. Donations to her kettle seem on track with previous years, and the secret to getting donations is to do the job with a warm personality. She hopes the fundraising picks up statewide.

“I pray,” she said. “Prayer is the main thing. When you pray God answers, but it takes a while.”

While the bell-ringing program starts before Thanksgiving, the primetime for donations picks up after the November holiday. There are 160 kettles around the state.

Candice Miner-Ching, who dropped some money in the kettle outside of Times Supermarket, said donating to the bell ringers is an old habit she’s practiced since she was a child going to the grocery store with her mother. Times get tight for lots of families around the holidays, which could account for the shortfall, she said, but it would be bad news if the goal isn’t met.

“Because it’s for a good cause and it’s Christmas,” she said on why she contributed to the fund. “It’s just something I’ve always done.”

Chamness said it’s too early to say what would be affected should the nonprofit fall short of its fundraising goal.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen at this point,” he said. “We don’t want to cut services, we don’t want to cut programs. We’ll do our best to keep all of our services going.”

The donation drive runs through Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. The organization is still looking for volunteers, too.