As Calgarians prepare to mark Remembrance Day, veterans are outraged over a rash of poppy box thefts.
Calgary’s Centennial Legion, the biggest branch in the country, says 31 of the poppy boxes it distributed have been stolen over the past ten days. Usually it’s just a handful.
“The people that are being harmed are the veterans”, says Joey Bleviss of the Calgary Poppy Fund. “They are the ones who laid down their lives for us and gave us what we have and for some guy or person to go in there – I think it’s terrible, just terrible.”
The Centennial Legion says the missing money all adds up.
“It’s a lot of money”, says vice-president Sandy Owen. “Unfortunately we don’t open the boxes until they are all counted in bulk, so we can’t tell you what the average is per can.”
The Centennial Legion has so far raised more than $100,000 during this year’s poppy drive. The money raised by all Calgary Legions is expected to top $1.2 million.
The money will help cover shelter, food and medication for veterans in need.
Comments