Major Morris argued that the Salvation Army was a group with broader appeal whose cause was exclusively needy families in the area, as opposed to other charities with narrower causes.

Donations to the Salvation Army (the Red Kettles) in the Washington area have fallen 15 percent below last year’s in the first two weeks of its Christmas season bell-ringing campaign, officials from the organization said, dragged down by the continuing recession and a new limit on ringing outside Giant Food stores.

Giant announced the limit in October, in what it said was an effort to allow more local nonprofit organizations access to its customers. Giant allows only one organization at a time to solicit in front of its stores. The Salvation Army previously had exclusive rights from Nov. 12 to Dec. 24, but this year is limited to one week in November and one week in December, a Giant spokesman said.

Giant stores made up about half of all collections in the Washington area in past ringing campaigns, and Salvation Army officials are raising concerns about possible collection shortfalls. Last year, the local Salvation Army raised about $667,000 in front of Giant stores, about half of the total $1.35 million it collected. Giant has 179 stores, all near Washington, including Maryland, Delaware and Northern Virginia.

In the 16 days that ended Dec. 1, Washington-area Salvation Army ringers collected $404,894, or about 15 percent less than in the same period last year, said Kenneth Forsythe, a spokesman for the organization. It collected $68,271 outside Giant stores, a 75 percent drop from the same period last year, Mr. Forsythe said.

He said he was not aware of any reduction in hours imposed by other stores in other parts of the country.

Jennifer Byrd, the national public relations manager for the Salvation Army, said that because of the charity’s local structure, she would not necessarily know of other restrictions.

The decline comes as demand from needy families has increased, causing concern among Salvation Army officials that they will not be able to cover the growing need. The organization helps families pay rent, utility and food bills, along with other essentials.

“This is the perfect storm for us,” said Maj. Steven Morris, the commander for the Salvation Army in the Washington area. “We don’t have a ready-made plan to make up what we could lose.”

The recession has hit hard in the area. This year, the Salvation Army here provided Thanksgiving food assistance to about 8,000 people, up from about 5,000 last year. The number of meals served to the hungry in 2009 was 139,568, up by more than a third from 2008. Unemployment benefits are starting to expire, Major Morris said, pressing more families into desperate situations.

“We’re uncomfortable turning families away right now,” he said. “And it’s not going to get any better in January.”

Jamie Miller, the Giant spokesman, said it was precisely the worsening economic conditions that prompted the store to reassess its strategy with charities.

Giant gets hundreds of requests for permission to collect money or signatures, Mr. Miller said, and with the recession cutting into giving this holiday season, Giant opted to give more nonprofits access to its customers.

“We wanted to open up our stores for other nonprofits,” he said.

Among the charities with increased access are youth athletic teams, local high school groups, Boy Scouts, a women’s group, and a local food pantry. Giant now allows charities to solicit from Monday to Saturday, instead of weekends only, Mr. Miller said.

Major Morris argued that the Salvation Army was a group with broader appeal whose cause was exclusively needy families in the area, as opposed to other charities with narrower causes.

“The Salvation Army stands for something different,” he said. “It’s not selling a product. It sustains the lives of those who are without right now.”