(Photo by Cory Knutt)
The Red Deer Legion’s annual Poppy Campaign is now underway.
The campaign begins with a Poppy Blitz during the last weekend of October.
“It was very successful,” said Kay Born, Vice President of the Red Deer Legion and Poppy Chairman. “We do several of the stores in town and we sit there and take donations for poppies.”
After the blitz, poppy donation boxes are distributed to businesses throughout the city.
Volunteers check on the boxes every couple of days, bring in new poppies, and collect funds raised leading up to Remembrance Day.
“Everything comes back in and is tallied up and hopefully we've had a good year,” Born said.
There are approximately 100 volunteers who help to make the Poppy Campaign possible.
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Every year, about 60,000 poppies are distributed during the campaign, and any that are left over are used the following year.
The funds raised from the campaign are used to support Veterans and their families.
“It's spent on things like bursaries,” Born said. “Veterans, children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren apply for bursaries, and the money, through the poppy fund, helps with other things that the Veterans need.”
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