Remembrance Day is going to look a little different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the Charleswood branch (No. 100) of the Royal Canadian Legion, that means a revamp of the traditional poppy campaign.
The legion said the level red restrictions in Winnipeg mean volunteers have had to “think outside the box” when it comes to distributing poppies this year.
They’ve moved to a drive-thru/curbside pickup model on Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in which community members can make donations and pick up poppies in the legion’s Roblin Boulevard parking lot, from the comfort and safety of their own vehicles.
The legion is also switching its Remembrance Day service to a livestream on its YouTube channel, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The Charleswood Legion isn’t the only one experimenting with new ways of engaging the public during the pandemic.
The Royal Canadian Legion announced in late October that it will be going high-tech in a number of cities across the country with cashless donation boxes, allowing people to tap debit or credit cards, smartphones or smartwatches, to make a donation for a poppy without coming into direct contact with volunteers.