Annual poppy campaign kicks off in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS — It’s described by the Royal Canadian Legion as a local initiative. However, the poppy campaign takes place across Canada in the days leading up to Remembrance Day as Legion branches raise money to help veterans in a variety of ways.
Here in Kamloops, the local poppy campaign office opened up in Kamloops Square, at 257 Seymour Street. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, poppy boxes and volunteers can be found at locations throughout the city. Craig Thompson, past president of the local Legion branch, says donations have already started rolling in for Remembrance Day wreaths. He’s hopeful that bodes well for the campaign overall.
“We really don’t know what to expect this year, yet. We’ve already had people coming to us and going us generous donations — again, this is really early,” Thompson says. “We’ve got the poppies out there now in a lot of businesses. We are in most of the malls with tables during the day. We’ll see what happens. Today is our first day out there, so we’ll see how it goes.”