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Hunter Wilson/Daily News Jake Compton, 4, of Bowling Green gets a chance to ring two bells Friday at The Salvation Army donation kettle outside Wal-Mart off Campbell Lane. Jake’s father, Tom Compton (left), came to relieve another volunteer bell ringer at the location.

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They are familiar parts of the Christmas landscape - manning fire-red kettles, with ringing bells to signal their presence, volunteers each year spend the weeks before Christmas collecting donations for The Salvation Army.

But echoing national reports, local officials say red kettle collections are down this holiday season.

“It’s been a struggle this year,” said Salvation Army Maj. Roy Hicks, who has run the local red kettle program for three years.

The Salvation Army relies on service clubs and a small group of volunteers to man the kettles, but has had to pay temporary workers to man the kettles at some locations this year.

“We have 20 locations, but usually only 10 or 12 volunteers,” Hicks said.

“I don’t know what happened. It’s not just here, it’s everywhere. In Nashville, they’re down, too.”

In Portland, Maine, and New York City, donations are 30 percent lower than last year; in Orlando, Fla., they declined 40 percent, according to a Boston Globe article.

The local Salvation Army is also expecting a significant drop in donations, but won’t know how much until the collection ends today.

For those who do still man the kettle, the rewards are worth the effort.

Dr. William Simpson worked at the kettle Friday at the bustling Wal-Mart on Campbell Lane. Simpson, who’s now a member of The Salvation Army advisory board, first volunteered to ring the bell as a member of the Kiwanis Club about 20 years ago.



“It’s a very heart-warming experience,” he said. “You have so many people come up to you explaining how The Salvation Army has helped them or had family members who were helped.”

Simpson, a physician, said he volunteers to collect donations a few times each year, with a few experiences annually that stand out.

“People are in a hurry passing by and with a ‘merry Christmas’ they are on their way,” he said. “But I had one mother today who gave her child a dollar to drop in the bucket and then she stopped to explain what the (donation) was for. It’s nice to be part of those experiences.”