With Ontario more open this year ahead of Remembrance Day, the local legion branch is counting on a successful poppy campaign.
Despite pandemic restrictions, the Newmarket Legion was still able to raise a lot of money last year, but poppy chair Crystal Cook said she hopes this year will be even better.
“We were lucky in that the businesses and the public as a whole were really generous last year. So we were kind of preparing for a not-as-good year and it actually turned out really well and so far all signs are pointing that this year’s going to be really great as well,” she said.
One of the biggest differences this year is having cadets back with the poppy boxes.
“That was certainly a noticeable difference last year because our cadets contribute greatly. They canvas for three nights for us,” Cook said.
This year they are also able to have veterans canvassing at Costco from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Nov. 1 to 10.
The local legion is also trialling some of the new poppy boxes that allow for tap payments this year.
“Nobody carries cash anymore, we’re becoming a cashless society. Hopefully the trial will go really well and we’ll be able to get more for the subsequent years,” Cook said of the boxes.
They work for tap-enabled debit and credit cards and you can choose either a $2, $5 or $10 donation. In Newmarket the boxes are stationed at both of the LCBO stores.
Through the poppy campaign, the local legion is typically able to raise $60,000 to $70,000, Cook said. She said they are hoping to hit that goal again this year.
All the money raised through poppy distribution is put in a trust fund to support the veterans and their families.
“We can’t use it to run our building, we can’t use it to pay the heat, the hydro. It can only strictly be used for the veterans and their dependents,” Cook said.
The poppy campaign launched on Oct. 29 and runs until Nov. 11.
