A surge of support for the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy campaign is expected to set a new record.
“It's safe to assume we'll probably be reaching the 20-million mark which is an unheard of,’’ says Bruce Poulin, Head of Communications for the Royal Canadian Legion.
The unexpected demand in the wake of recent tragedies on Canadian soil, forced the Legion to make a rush order of the poppy pins in time for Remembrance Day.
Millions of the poppies were assembled in Ottawa at the Y’s Owl Maclure Co-operative, which helps people living with developmental disabilities.
“Two million poppies is not a small number and our workforce was really committed to doing it,” says Hugh Nelson, Y’s Owl’s Executive Director.
Others are taking a sweeter approach in showing their appreciation. Holland’s Cake and Shake baked a hundred poppy-seed cakes and sold-out over the weekend. All of the proceeds from the sales will go to the Royal Canadian Legion.
“The suggested donation was a dollar a cake. People would buy two or three and donate $20, $5, whatever they had in their pocket,” says Sous-Chef Kathryn Ferries.
The bakery will be making another batch for sale on Remembrance Day.
With a report from CTV’s John Hua
