Due to the pandemic, the Royal Canadian Legion Orillia Branch 34 is expecting a challenging poppy campaign this month.
Typically, volunteers would be present at grocery and retail stores around Orillia at this time of year, selling poppies to the community. However, during a global pandemic, that method of fundraising has been called off.
“To run an effective poppy (campaign), you need a lot of bodies and we would normally get 40 to 50 volunteers. Of course, the seniors don’t want to volunteer right now (due to COVID concerns),” said Orillia Legion Vice-President Rick Purcell.
Show your support of the Poppy Campaign and Canada's Veterans by using one of our social media graphics made available for the public: https://t.co/e3BOpP624n #GetYourPoppy #CanadaRemembers #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/SrjnT6codd
— The Royal Canadian Legion (@RoyalCdnLegion) November 3, 2020
“It’s a little more challenging than normal this year, but the Legion is coming up with new ideas about how to conduct the fundraiser in a pandemic world.”
On top of the poppy boxes being made available in stores and restaurants across town, the Legion is also selling a poppy mask which you can find here.
In Canada’s bigger cities such as Toronto, the Legion has implemented electronic boxes where poppy buyers can tap their debit or credit card to make their donation.
“What we get out of the poppy boxes in the stores is going to be very important. We still need the support so we can support our 20 to 30 veterans who live here in the Orillia area and periodically need our assistance,” Purcell said.
In previous years, the Orillia Legion has raised upwards of $30,000 through the poppy campaign. This year, Purcell says there is no specific fundraising goal, noting any and all donations are appreciated.
“Orillia has been very good to the Legion and the poppy campaign so we are hoping for another good year,” he said.
“If we get half of what we got last year we will do well with supporting our veterans in 2021, which is important.”
Money raised during the poppy campaign goes exclusively towards helping veterans with needs such as paying bills and health-care costs.
Any surplus left over from the poppy campaign goes to one of the Legion's chosen charities, such as the Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Foundation. With this year's expected lower fundraising total, the Legion fears it may not be able to support such causes.
“We will probably have enough money this year to serve our veterans but we may not have enough money to donate to our charitable foundations this year,” Purcell said.
