"We'd love it if we had all volunteers, but we just can't get enough," said Alice Hohl, community-relations director for the Salvation Army in greater Columbus.
Only about 12 percent of the 22,000 hours that local bell-ringers work are covered by volunteers, she said. Paid workers cover the rest.
The annual holiday fundraiser, with bell-ringers standing outside stores or on corners collecting donations in red kettles, kicks off tonight as part of the Statehouse Holiday Tree Lighting.
The charity hopes to collect $560,000 locally with this year's drive. Last year, nearly $500,000 was collected. Capt. Michael Laro, who helps run one of the Salvation Army worship centers, said the kettle drive is the group's largest fundraiser of the year.
Paid kettle workers have been used since at least the 1970s. And although the Salvation Army feels good about providing jobs during the holidays, the volunteers tend to collect more than paid workers, Hohl said.
"They're happy and excited and maybe they've brought their dogs or their kids," she said. "It's not a paycheck for them -- they believe in what we're doing."
Laro said kettles with volunteers bring in $10 to $20 more an hour than those with paid workers.
Hohl couldn't estimate how much hiring temporary workers costs the Salvation Army but said they're paid $7 to $8 an hour.
The 2007 greater Columbus drive will include 88 freshly painted kettles. All the money raised stays in the community, providing food, coats and Christmas presents to thousands of families, Hohl said.
And although donors can't use a credit card at the kettle, they can donate online at www.salvationarmycolumbus.org. The drive ends Dec. 24.
Don't look for the kettles everywhere. Some stores don't allow solicitations. Among those that do are Kroger, Kmart and Wal-Mart.