Giving to local nonprofit groups is down from last year, and officials are worried that services to local needy families might be cut back.

The reduced donations are being attributed to the unprecedented relief efforts in the wake of natural disasters including Hurricane Katrina, which are siphoning off food and money that normally would go to local groups.

Officials from Aloha United Way, the Salvation Army, the Hawai'i Foodbank and the Institute for Human Services say donations are down from 2 percent to as much as 40 percent, making it harder for nonprofit organizations to pay for programs and payrolls.

The slowdown comes at a crucial time for nonprofits, because donations during the holidays can make or break budgets, said Coralie Chun Matayoshi, chief executive officer for the American Red Cross in Hawai'i. She noted that the Red Cross still is seeking contributions to help fill local disaster relief coffers. It has raised more than $2.5 million so far here for Katrina relief efforts.

Lynn Maunakea, executive director of the Institute for Human Services, said donations to its emergency homeless shelter were down about 40 percent in October and that trend is continuing.

"Now, the first week of our annual (fundraising) campaign kicked off and it is 37 percent below last year's actual (donations)," Maunakea said. "I'd like to remind people about our local needs and remind them how important it is to support our local social services agencies.

"The need hasn't gone away here even though it is so pronounced in other places. If anything, we are seeing even heightened need in Hawai'i."

Maj. Dave Hudson, with the Salvation Army in Hawai'i, said donations are down about 10 percent in the last couple of months. The Salvation Army kicked off its annual kettle campaign yesterday and is hoping to raise $500,000.

"We're projecting to help 45,000 people in the Islands for Christmas and 100,000 throughout the rest of the year," Hudson said. "So anything down is a concern."

For people in need, Hudson said, help from nonprofit agencies sometimes means the difference between buying a Christmas gift and paying the month's rent.

"A lot of the people we serve have several jobs," he said. "But the hourly rates are low and rents are high, so people are trying but falling in those gaps.

"People have given so much this year already. We want to express our appreciation for all people have done to help the hurricane (victims), but also remember there are local needs and we need to help local people as well."

Lisa Cripe, assistant vice president of marketing and communications at Aloha United Way, said donations have been coming in slower than usual this year. Cripe said the agency, which began its annual fundraising effort a few days after Hurricane Katrina hit, hopes to raise $13.1 million this year.

"A lot of the companies that we traditionally work with over the years are raising less then they have before," Cripe said. "Mostly because they are also running a separate fundraiser for hurricane victims. Some companies are really trying to step up and have upped their donations from previous years to compensate for the fact that there are other things going on."

Cripe said local donations are also critical for ensuring there is a safety net of relief money in case a disaster were to hit the Islands.

Dick Grimm, president of the the Hawai'i Foodbank, said recent food donations are down about 2 percent.

"I think it is a temporary thing," Grimm said. "Hawai'i is a very giving place."

The food bank receives 14 percent of its supplies from America's Second Harvest, a Mainland group that has diverted millions of pounds of food to Katrina victims, Grimm said.

The Hawai'i Foodbank, which feeds about 118,000 people each week through a statewide network of agencies, bids on supplies that have been donated to America's Second Harvest. But much of the supplies that the Foodbank has received — cereal, produce, chicken and milk — are now going to hurricane victims.

Maura Daly, director of communication for Second Harvest, said some areas across the country are seeing a decline in local donations, but due to the outpouring of support for disaster victims, nationally there is a donation increase in both food and money.

"What's going on nationally is not always indicative of what is going on locally," Daly said.

USA Today reported yesterday that food donations are down 12 percent in Los Angeles, 30 percent in New York City and more than 50 percent in Milwaukee and Denver, according to the Chicago-based Second Harvest.

At IHS, the need for emergency housing for the homeless continues to grow and women are now being allowing to sleep inside a locked garage area, Maunakea said. IHS operates separate men's and women's shelters in Iwilei that can sleep up to 250 men and 150 women and children.

Its current fundraising goal is $300,000 and Maunakea, who is leaving her position at IHS Dec. 1 to take a job with Kamehameha Schools, said she still hopes to meet that goal.

"I'm not despairing yet," she said. "I'm just hoping that it is just taking a little bit longer to kick things off and people will come through as they have for IHS time and time again in the past."

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.