Butler County’s two Salvation Army chapters have increased their fundraising goals by thousands of dollars this year to help an increasing number of people requesting assistance.

The Red Kettle Campaign, the largest fundraiser for the Salvation Army, kicked off last week and runs through Christmas Eve.

The Middletown Salvation Army, has set a fundraising goal of $110,000, about $5,000 more than was collected last year, according to Lt. Bryan L. DeMichael, the chapter’s commander. In order to reach the goal during these sluggish economic times, DeMichael has added Mondays and Tuesdays to the campaign schedule, meaning volunteers will be collecting every day but Sunday.

In Hamilton, the campaign goal is $150,000, up $3,000 from last year, said Maj. Wilder Garcia. There is also an increase for assistance in Hamilton and bordering communities, he said.

Several nonprofit organizations, including The Salvation Army, have faced major challenges with funding cuts and slowing donations due to a sluggish economy. Each donation to the Red Kettle Campaign helps the nonprofit offer essential services to the community, which are in high demand.

The Salvation Army served 250 Thanksgiving dinners in Hamilton last year, Garcia said. This year, 300 were fed in Hamilton, he said.

His agency has received assistance requests from 300 families for a total of 1,100 children. He hopes to provide at least one toy and one piece of clothing to every child.

“We’re trusting the community,” he said.

Fifty-three percent of Butler County families who need assistance live in Middletown, according to DeMichael. So far, 500 families have requested assistance for a total of 2,000 children for Christmas, both numbers slightly higher than last year, he said.

Hamilton and Middletown, Butler County’s two biggest cities, saw their unemployment rates drop last month. Hamilton’s slightly fell to 6.9 percent from 7 percent the month before and from 9.2 percent in October of 2011. Middletown’s dropped to 6.8 percent from 7.2 percent in September and 9.4 percent a year ago.