With lingering economic problems giving charitable donors ample cause for pause, the local Salvation Army is approaching its annual Red Kettle campaign with modest expectations.

If all goes well, the organization hopes to match last year's statewide total of $700,000 in donations.

"Last year was a tough year also," said Salvation Army spokesperson Daniel de Castro. "If we can meet or exceed what we did last year, that would be good."

The campaign started Monday with some 130 collection kettles deployed across the state. The start date was pushed up to make up for the relatively late Thanksgiving holiday. The campaign continues until Dec. 24.

De Castro said the organization is counting on Hawai'i's traditionally generous attitude toward charitable giving.

"People in Hawai'i tend to be more generous during difficult economic times because they recognize that there are people in need," he said. "People may not be able to give as much, but we expect that there will be more people giving overall."

De Castro said he is looking forward to next year when the Hawai'i chapter will implement the recently introduced "plastic kettle" program, which allows donors to use debit and credit cards to make contributions.