Salvation Army bell ringer Gwendolyn Rivers says her red kettle seems lighter this year.

Last year “there were times it was so full you had to stuff the money in,” Ms. Rivers said, shivering in the cold near Rockefeller Center on Saturday night.

Economic pressures and bad weather are depressing the Salvation Army of Greater New York’s annual kettle drive, with donations down 21% so far this year, the charity’s director of programs, Major John Hodgson, said. The drive runs between November 12 and December 24.

The Salvation Army’s 39 local chapters had collected $925,000 as of December 13, down from $1.165 million during the same period last year.

“The softness of contributions may be due to the uncertainty of the economy,” Major Hodgson said. “When there is a recession, all people are hurting so people give. But when there is uncertainty, then people hesitate until the last minute.”

The charity is aiming to hit its $2.5 million fund-raising target during the week and a half before Christmas, when most donations are typically collected. If it falls short, there will be less to spend on children’s toys, food, and clothing this year. Homeless outreach, rent subsidies, and other programs could suffer, too.

“We have to cut back on services if the money’s not there,” Mr. Hodgson said.

The Salvation Army of New York isn’t the only region struggling this holiday season. Collections are also down in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, according to the Associated Press.

Retail data provider MasterCard Advisors said yesterday that retail store sales have slowed steadily since November, as consumers deal with higher fuel prices, a housing slump, and the credit crunch.

The Salvation Army is feeling the pinch at its most lucrative kettle locations in Manhattan. Red kettles in Rockefeller Center are pulling in an average $101 an hour this year, compared with an average of $120 an hour last year, Major Hodgson said.

Bell ringer Connie Smith, who manned a kettle outside of Rockefeller Center on Saturday night, said the crowds seem less giving this year. It also hurts that the plaza is a beacon for other people soliciting money.

“There is a lot of competition,” Ms. Smith said. “You got the guy playing the drums and you had Santa on the corner earlier.”

One block away, bell ringer Filipe Concha said passersby seem troubled this year. He blamed the weather, saying people are less likely to stop and give a dollar when they’re rushing to get out of the cold.

“It’s pretty difficult because it’s cold, it’s rainy, it’s awful,” Mr. Concha said. “It seems like people are a lot busier this year. They look sad — you know? People worry.”

The best performing kettle locations tend to be in the areas with the most traffic. After Rockefeller Center, the city’s best spots are Grand Central Terminal, which averages $99 an hour; Penn Station, $91 an hour; the World Trade Center Path station, $73 an hour, and Macy’s at Herald Square, $67 an hour.

Because Manhattan is by far the most lucrative borough for fundraising, the Salvation Army allows each center from the other boroughs to man a couple of kettles in the city.

The majority of bell ringers are volunteers, although the Salvation Army sometimes hires people to man kettles when free labor is scarce. The center outside Times Square, for instance, pays some of its kettle workers $7 to $9 an hour.

A kettle’s performance can also be tied to the person working it. People that play an instrument, sing, or have another gimmick to engage a crowd tend to do better than those who just stand there ringing a bell. Pairs and groups also tend to draw more donations than individuals.

Times Square is a particularly tough place to raise money, despite being a high-traffic area, Major Hodgson said. The kettle near the Hard Rock Cafe, for instance, collects just $14 an hour.

“There is just so much going on in Times Square — you’re one of the minor attractions,” he said. “It’s so crowded and so noisy and so glitzy that people walk right by the kettle guy.”