Buy a poppy, wear a poppy, to pay tribute to veterans

Wellington Legion Branch 160 members Gordon MacKinnon, Murray Guy and Harry Hunter were handing out Remembrance Day poppies at the Bloomfield Post Office on the weekend, and gratefully accepting donations. 

Most Royal Canadian Legion branches won’t be holding services during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the annual Poppy Campaign leading up to Remembrance Day continues – albeit in a much more restrictive way.

Every year from the last Friday of October to Nov. 11, Canadians wear a poppy as a visual way to honour Canada’s veterans and remembers those who sacrificed for freedoms people enjoy today.

While the poppy is distributed freely to all who wish to wear one, the Legion gratefully accepts donations at boxes set up in stores, or with volunteers participating in street campaigns.

Donations are held in a Poppy Trust Fund and are used to support veterans and families, and services they use within the community, such as the County’s hospital.

Legion branches plan to place the wreaths purchased by many local people, businesses and organizations around the local cenotaphs before 11 a.m. Nov. 11. There are no official services this year. People are welcome to pay their respects on the day, at any time, in a socially-distanced manner.