MORGANTOWN -- The Salvation Army, like many charities this time of year, is having a hard time meeting some of its goals.

Donations in Preston County are especially down this year.

The county ended last year $20,000 short of its goal, and so far, its bell ringers aren't collecting money enough to make up the difference and meet this year's goal.

The Salvation Army says many of its traditional donors have become clients, in the wake of the recession and it's seen more than 35 percent more aid applications this year.

"Preston County had two big companies go out about a year ago, the mines and of course the monument factory," Capt. Bob Cornett said. "When they went out, that hurt us in a big way. A lot of our donors are now clients and the client base has gone up and the donor base has gone down, so we're really upside down in Preston County."

The good news is that donations in Monongalia and Marion counties are ahead of schedule, compared to this time last year.