Photo Ed Halverson

The Royal Canadian Legion’s annual poppy campaign is back with a decidedly new twist this year.

Donation boxes and volunteers will still be in the same familiar locations, but some will offer a new way to donate.

Electronic tap and pay boards which were rolled out on a trial basis in a few locations last year are now available at the two main grocery stores in Liverpool, Sobeys and Superstore.

The boards allow you to choose a dollar amount and quickly tap your debit or credit card to make your donation.

President of Mersey Branch 38 Louis Landry says the automatic machines not only make it easier for people to donate, they require fewer volunteers.

“The good thing about that is that then the person doesn’t have to man the table. We don’t have to have somebody watching the money box. It’s there on the grace of everybody. I tell everybody that poppies are free, we’re just asking for a donation,” said Landry.

The Legion is also going green this year, introducing biodegradable poppies and wreaths.

Landry says the Legion will be working its way through the stock of poppies and wreaths they have on hand.

He expects many biodegradable wreaths will be on display this season and to see the new, greener poppies next year.

Landry says the Poppy Campaign is crucial to supporting local veterans as every dollar donated goes to support former military and RCMP members living here in Queens.

Landry is also seeing an uptick in the number of volunteers offering to man their donation stations.

He credits people being more comfortable dealing with COVID in the community and the efforts of their Poppy Campaign Chair Janet Will.

“Because she spent quite a number of hours on the phone canvassing people, encouraging them to come out and actually volunteer for this year’s poppy fund,” said Landry.

The Legion will be marking two significant events during Remembrance Day ceremonies this year.

The first is the passing of Queen Elizabeth. The second is the 80^th anniversary of Canadian forces landing in Dieppe.

In August of 1942, 5,000 Canadians joined their allies in storming France, 900 of them didn’t make it home.

The Legion will host a series of events around Queens County on Remembrance Day beginning at 9:30am at the Brooklyn Baptist Church.

Several services will run concurrently at 10:45am at cenotaphs in Liverpool, Milton, Caledonia, Port Mouton and Greenfield.

Services will also be held at noon in Liverpool at the Camp Norway Memorial and at 2:30pm at the newly dedicated 1^st Beech Hill RCAF Memorial on Old Port Mouton Rd.

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Photo Ed Halverson

The Royal Canadian Legion’s annual poppy Campaign rebounded from the pandemic in an unexpected way.

Mersey Branch 38 President Louis Landry didn’t have a final total but says the community really stepped forward to help veterans and their families.

“We did rebound and we did make better than last year, not so much in the sales of poppies at the stores but more so in donations.”

Landry says those donations came primarily in the form of memorial messages which are read by legion members at the Remembrance Day services.

Traditionally the notices are read in person but this year they moved online.

Landry says the legion placed poppy boxes in 68 locations around Queens, 126 donations were received, and 76 wreaths were purchased.

All money raised for the poppy fund goes directly to help veterans and their families.

Landry says attendance at Remembrance Day ceremonies also saw a considerable increase over last year.

He says the Brooklyn service doubled their turnout and Port Mouton had 80 people come out, far more than the usual 20 who would normally attend the service.

Landry says while the sunny weather helped, he feels people are looking to connect with one another.

“I think that COVID may have strengthened that desire to show support,” said Landry. “I think that COVID, and life has caused things to be more meaningful.”

Landry says that desire was reflected in the higher turnout at all nine Remembrance Day services across the county.

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Legion poppies. Photo credit: Ed Halverson

The Canadian Legion hopes eased pandemic restrictions means more money in their poppy fund this year.

Poppy Fund Chairman at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 38 in Liverpool Louis Landry says their fundraising efforts were hamstrung in 2020 when volunteers were not permitted to solicit donations in person.

“Last year we were kind of handcuffed because of COVID,” said Landry. “[We] couldn’t actually go out and raise any monies, other than to deposit the poppy boxes in local businesses.

He estimates about $10,000 was raised during that campaign, roughly half the amount they would normally take in.

Landry says that $10,000 went to good use over the past year as the legion bought a TV for Hillsview Acres, wheelchairs for the hospital and gave money to the food bank to provide meals for veterans and their families.

Landry is optimistic the return to in-person poppy donations will see an increase in giving.

In fact, he has already seen the difference.

“Myself and a friend were at the Superstore on the opening day, that was Wednesday, for three hours and we probably raked in close to $500.”

Landry is also hoping the easing of restrictions will also mean a greater turnout at cenotaph services this Remembrance Day.

The public is once again invited to attend services this year after they were closed to everyone but officials and participants in 2020.

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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 
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