Royal Canadian Legion Branch 038 in Liverpool, NS. Photo credit: Ed Halverson

Contributions to the Royal Canadian Legion’s annual poppy fund are way down this year thanks to the coronavirus.

President of Legion Branch 038 in Liverpool Larry Weagle said volunteers would normally set up tables in grocery stores and the NSLC but due to the pandemic, the retailer’s corporate offices aren’t allowing them in.

“The volunteers used to love it, and no problem getting them but we’ve got no place to put them,” said Weagle. “Everybody wants to do it but we’ve got no place to put them.”

Including the major grocery chains and NSLC, there are 39 retailers throughout Liverpool who have put out poppy trays to accept donations.

Weagle said in any other year, legion volunteers stationed at tables would also sell commemorative pins and other items adorned with poppies to increase the amount going to the poppy fund, but people can now only buy those items at the legion.

The Liverpool legion would traditionally raise close to $20,000 for the poppy fund and Weagle expects this year they’ll be lucky to bring in half that amount.

He’s disappointed because that’s money the legion uses to help veterans and their families in a variety of ways.

“We had two veterans that needed portable oxygen things, we had another guy that’s in a nursing home and he’d like to have a lift chair. So we got him that. We had another guy, never had a radio, so just little things like that. You know it adds up. Somebody needs a barrel of oil that can’t afford it, we get them that too. As long as he’s a veteran or a veteran’s family,” said Weagle.

The drop in donations is all the more reason for people to be aware of how to keep the money they’re giving going to local veterans according to Weagle. He says a donation to the poppy fund at the legion is the best way to ensure all the money stays in the community.

“You pay $55 for a wreath, we make three dollars, locally. We only get three dollars. If you make a donation, we get it all,” said Weagle.

Virtual poppies are becoming a popular way to show support for the legion but Weagle said the local branch sees none of that money as it all goes directly to the main headquarters in Ottawa.

The legion isn’t just struggling with poppy fund donations. They’re also having a hard time raising enough money to run their day-to-day operations.

Once they would host banquets of up to 140 people but that revenue is gone thanks to the coronavirus.

Weagle said they keep the lights on through a combination of hall rentals and events but COVID-19 has put a stop to a lot of it.

“No dances, no variety shows, no karaoke. It hurts,” said Weagle.

Legion Branch 038 President Larry Weagle. Photo credit: Ed Halverson

Weagle would like to see more people come in to take advantage of the take-out lunches they offer. But he understands some folks have an outdated idea about what the legion is.

“Look, you’ve got no way to make no money. People think the legion is a drinking establishment, that’s gone,” said Weagle. “Mostly now, people come here, we sell more pop and water than we do alcohol.”

He says donations to the legion come back to the community in many ways.

“People don’t realize what the legion does for our community. Our doors are always open for anybody. The community groups, they work with us. The funds that we give out, like, we give out the Salvation Army Christmas boxes and bursaries for high school kids, the food bank,” said Weagle.

A bright spot this season was an unexpected donation from Freeman Lumber for $1,000.

“It really surprised me,” said Weagle. “Because this is the first time any corporation that size gave a donation this big.”

Weagle assured Freeman Lumber the money would go directly to the poppy fund to help local veterans and their families.

He reminds anyone wishing to donate should specify whether they wish to direct their donation to the poppy fund or the legion itself. Information on how to donate is located at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 038 Facebook page.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

Legion poppies. Photo credit: Ed Halverson

The MLA for Queens-Shelburne is asking the province to provide financial support to legions.

Kim Masland was moved to make the motion after a presentation Wednesday by legion members to the legislature’s standing committee on veteran’s affairs.

Chairman of the poppy and remembrance committee for the legion’s Nova Scotia/Nunavut command Don McCumber was there to explain how money raised through poppy donations helps not just veterans but communities.

“It’s the service that’s provided to our youth through bursaries. It provides funding to our local cadet organization,” said McCumber. “It’s providing service to our seniors and it would be a big loss to a community to have a legion close its doors.”

McCumber said the poppy fund is a public trust that can only be used to support veterans, RCMP and community members in need.

Masland said she became concerned when she asked how the legions fund their day-to-day operations.

McCumber explained the money used to keep the lights on comes from social events they usually hold throughout the year. Because of COVID-19 precautions they’ve been unable to host any events.

Masland asked the committee to write a letter of support to Premier Stephen McNeil, in his role as minister responsible for military.

“Asking him to extend a one-time grant to the legions throughout the province to continue to support the work they do and to make sure that they’re able to keep their doors open,” said Masland.

The Queens-Shelburne MLA said the legions are crucial to so many members of the community, seniors and veterans.

“That’s their place that they go and meet and chat and we have to do what we can to make sure those doors stay open,” said Masland. “We saw it in Caledonia, the doors closed, and once the doors close, they don’t reopen.”

The COVID-19 pandemic is also forcing the legion to change how it collects donations for the poppy fund this year.

McCumber says in 2018-19 the legion raised $771,000 across Nova Scotia through poppy donations, of which, $736,000 was put back into local communities. He is concerned the legion may see a steep decline in donations because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The legion will not have veterans and volunteers collecting donations for poppies in person at the usual malls and shopping areas.

Donation boxes will instead be in place at NSLC outlets across Nova Scotia and at some retailers.

McCumber is optimistic people will still keep the legion in mind around Remembrance Day.

“We’re hoping, even though we’re having some tough times here with COVID and policies, that the community members themselves will realize the situation that we’re in and take the initiative to find a way to make a donation to that poppy fund,” said McCumber.

He encourages people and businesses to reach out to their local legion branch when making a donation for a poppy or buying a wreath to be laid during Remembrance Day services to ensure the money raised will continue to support efforts in their home community.

Donations can also be made directly to the legion by e-mail: merseybranch038@eastlink.ca.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson