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Where Does Poppy Money Go?

The poppy, a symbol of remembrance for those killed in combat, raises $16.5 million annually. This is a testament to Canadians and their wide respect for our troops. All poppy money collected by a Legion branch stays within that local community and pays for medical equipment, home services and long-term care facilities for ex-service people in need of financial assistance.

Did you know?
The poppy should be worn as close to the heart as possible on the left lapel of the outermost garment
An old poppy should never be reused.

Poppy’s found lying on the ground should be placed in a cemetery or at the foot of a war monument.
In 1915, John McCrae, a Guelph, Ont. native and doctor serving with the Canadian Forces Artillery, wrote about the poppy explosion in his famous poem In Flanders Fields.

The average donation for a poppy is a loonie.

In recent years, the distribution of poppies has been steadily climbing. Let’s keep up the trend.

 

5 Responses

  1. This is the perfect way to support the troops. Make your donation have an impact in your own community. Lets all together raise that “average donation” number to at least a toonie in 2010!

  2. “An old poppy should never be reused”. This comment has less to do with honour and more to do with making money for the Legion. Whilst the funds are handled and distributed professionally for an important purpose(are they? how do we know?) the underlying premise is one of waste. I donate every year, but I will never buy a new poppy, I can find plenty that others have lost…………

    War has always been a complete waste – loss of life, community, biodiversity, security, etc. It brings untold economic and social devastation everywhere it goes. As a human invented method to solve problems it is the most inefficient and unsustainable activity we partake in. So you want me to buy new poppies every year to support that concept and throw the old ones in the trash? No can do. It’s the traditional sprig of rosemary for me. And I can compost that.

  3. I am sorry you feel that way Mellisa, but the Poppy campaign does two things, one it is remembrance, so we remember those who paid the sacrifice, everyone soldiers and civilian, also remembrance of war and what it does to families with hope there is no mo wars. Second it is a way to help veterans and families that paid the ultimate sacrifice, an example would be to help current Afaganistan veterans who lost a leg, help them buy a sports sport prosthetic that Veterans Affairs will not pay for, Veterans Affairs will pay for for prosthetics for walking but not extra ones. Or at veterans hospitals, it wil help pay for events like a movie night to get the veterans out of the hospital.

  4. i agree with melissa.
    AND
    if “All poppy money collected by a Legion branch stays within that local community and pays for medical equipment, home services and long-term care facilities for ex-service people in need of financial assistance.”

    why is it that the farmer in nova scotia who was treating people for free with medical marijuana (cancer patients who needed real help and had financial issues)
    was removed from his legion along with all his friends. he is now jailed for being compassionate and helping his brothers and sisters like a true hero would.
    I wear poppies every year.
    I have on in my car 365.
    I love and appreciate what was done in the past but its not like the world is a peaceful place.
    just my 2 cents.
    1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lives. lets hope we have people to help us too.

Continuing the Discussion

  1. Remembrance Day Cookies | Vanilla Bean Baker

    [...] The symbolism of the poppy is known the world over and is dearly protected by the Legion.  From the last Friday before Remembrance Day to November 11th we pay homage to those men and women and to their sacrifice by pinning a poppy over our hearts.  The proceeds from the sale of poppies goes directly back into the communities to support ex-service personnel in need of financial assistance.  Annually, the proceeds amount to 16.5 million according to a post by the Salvation Army. [...]

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