Contributions to the Royal Canadian Legion’s annual poppy fund are way down this year thanks to the coronavirus.

President of Legion Branch 038 in Liverpool Larry Weagle said volunteers would normally set up tables in grocery stores and the NSLC but due to the pandemic, the retailer’s corporate offices aren’t allowing them in.

“The volunteers used to love it, and no problem getting them but we’ve got no place to put them,” said Weagle. “Everybody wants to do it but we’ve got no place to put them.”

Including the major grocery chains and NSLC, there are 39 retailers throughout Liverpool who have put out poppy trays to accept donations.

Weagle said in any other year, legion volunteers stationed at tables would also sell commemorative pins and other items adorned with poppies to increase the amount going to the poppy fund, but people can now only buy those items at the Legion.

The Liverpool Legion would traditionally raise close to $20,000 for the poppy fund and Weagle expects this year they’ll be lucky to bring in half that amount.

He’s disappointed because that’s money the legion uses to help veterans and their families in a variety of ways.

“We had two veterans that needed portable oxygen things, we had another guy that’s in a nursing home and he’d like to have a lift chair. So we got him that. We had another guy, never had a radio, so just little things like that. You know it adds up. Somebody needs a barrel of oil that can’t afford it, we get them that too. As long as he’s a veteran or a veteran’s family,” said Weagle.

The drop in donations is all the more reason for people to be aware of how to keep the money they’re giving going to local veterans according to Weagle. He says a donation to the poppy fund at the legion is the best way to ensure all the money stays in the community.

“You pay $55 for a wreath, we make three dollars, locally. We only get three dollars. If you make a donation, we get it all,” said Weagle.

Virtual poppies are becoming a popular way to show support for the legion but Weagle said the local branch sees none of that money as it all goes directly to the main headquarters in Ottawa.

The legion isn’t just struggling with poppy fund donations. They’re also having a hard time raising enough money to run their day-to-day operations.

Once they would host banquets of up to 140 people but that revenue is gone thanks to the coronavirus.

Weagle said they keep the lights on through a combination of hall rentals and events but COVID-19 has put a stop to a lot of it.

“No dances, no variety shows, no karaoke. It hurts,” said Weagle.

Legion Branch 038 President Larry Weagle. Photo credit: Ed Halverson

Weagle would like to see more people come in to take advantage of the take-out lunches they offer. But he understands some folks have an outdated idea about what the legion is.

“Look, you’ve got no way to make no money. People think the legion is a drinking establishment, that’s gone,” said Weagle. “Mostly now, people come here, we sell more pop and water than we do alcohol.”

He says donations to the legion come back to the community in many ways.

“People don’t realize what the legion does for our community. Our doors are always open for anybody. The community groups, they work with us. The funds that we give out, like, we give out the Salvation Army Christmas boxes and bursaries for high school kids, the food bank,” said Weagle.

A bright spot this season was an unexpected donation from Freeman Lumber for $1,000.

“It really surprised me,” said Weagle. “Because this is the first time any corporation that size gave a donation this big.”

Weagle assured Freeman Lumber the money would go directly to the poppy fund to help local veterans and their families.

He reminds anyone wishing to donate should specify whether they wish to direct their donation to the poppy fund or the Legion itself. Information on how to donate is located at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 038 Facebook page.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson