Donations to Salvation Army red kettles around the state have kept pace with last year’s collection rate, while online donations to the annual fundraising campaign are higher.

As of Dec. 19 the organization had collected about $656,000 in red kettles statewide, about the same amount at this time last year. Bell-ringing volunteers began collecting donations a week before Thanksgiving at designated sites, including in front of Longs Drugs and Safeway. The campaign will end on Christmas Eve.

Spokesman Daniel de Castro said donations levels are a pleasant surprise, given that many residents are dealing with tight budgets. "We’re hoping to meet, if not exceed, the total donation that we received last year," he said.

The Salvation Army collected $813,600 last year, about 8 percent less than the 2009 total of $880,460.

The red kettle drive started in San Francisco in 1891, when donations were collected in crab pots to help people who had lost their jobs — particularly seamen and longshoremen. With the success of the drive, the red kettle campaign was adopted nationwide.

The Salvation Army’s online red kettle donation drive for Hawaii, which also started before Thanksgiving, has collected about $15,000 so far, exceeding online donations of $8,700 last year and $11,905 in 2009.

While the red kettle campaign ends on Christmas Eve, the online red kettle drive will continue until Jan. 31. People interested in making an online donation can go to www.onlineredkettle.org.

Donations help the Salvation Army provide an array of services to people in need throughout the year.