Vancouver Poppy Fund predicting donations will be down tens of thousands of dollars due to pandemic

The Vancouver Poppy Fund says it could be down tens of thousands of dollars in donations from poppy sales this year without its usual distribution across businesses and at Remembrance Day ceremonies.

The risk of COVID-19 transmission means many businesses have either closed down or aren't willing to display poppy trays at their retail locations. There will also be fewer volunteers for fundraising as the cadets have decided not to participate because of the risk.

"We're really going to struggle this year," said Valerie Merrett, vice president of the Billy Bishop Kerrisdale Royal Canadian Legion Branch 176 in Vancouver. "I don't see how we can follow the health guidelines and poppy tag because we have to maintain social distance."

Merrett says in a normal year, her branch raises over $27,000 for the Vancouver Poppy Fund through poppy tagging alone.

She says the number of trays that are set up in locations around the branch is down 15 per cent, partly due to businesses closing and to care facilities that have been locked down due to outbreaks.

Jim Howard, administrator of the Vancouver Poppy Fund, says a number of hotels, banks, and office buildings have still opted to set up poppy trays.

"I've got faith in the community that they are going to find a way to find a poppy box and make their donation," he said.

Howard says they're also losing out on about $5,000 to $7,000 in donations that are collected on Remembrance Day itself when crowds gather at the cenotaph in Victory Square downtown.

Many of the veterans that are still volunteering to run poppy stations in malls are also at higher risk of COVID-19 because they're in their 50s or older, he says.

"The ones that are out on on post, they're wearing their masks and gloves and just taking care of business, making sure everything is neat and clean as they go along."

He's encouraging people to get their poppies by walking into any legion branch in Vancouver or the Army and Navy store. They can also contact the Vancouver Poppy Fund directly.

The Vancouver School Board has also distributed poppies to all the schools in the district

Merrett says the Billy Bishop branch has set up a system so that people can make a donation when they use their credit card to pay their bill at certain retail locations.

"I'm asking people when they do see a poppy tray, take that cash nobody seems to want to have this year and put it in the poppy fund box," she said. "We can take that cash, sanitize it and get it deposited, get it to the Vancouver veterans and every penny helps."