During the Poppy Campaign leading up to Remembrance Day, the Royal Canadian Legion gratefully accepts donations at Legion tables and Poppy boxes across Canada. From national retail outlets and banks, to restaurants, grocery stores, convenience and gas stores, to the flower shop around the corner, businesses and organizations help the Legion distribute Poppies at their locations.
Carleton University has also taken part in procuring donations for the Legion for over 10 years through canvassing by student groups and placing poppy donation boxes at various locations across campus.
The poppy is a special reminder of the bravery and dedication of all the servicemen and women who dedicated their lives so that we could enjoy peace and democratic freedom. The Royal Canadian Legion suggests that the poppy be worn on the left lapel of a garment and as close to the heart as possible.
The poppy became widespread in Europe after soils in France and Belgium became rich in lime from debris and rubble from the fighting during the First World War. These little red flowers also flourished around the gravesites of the war dead. In 1915, John McCrae, a doctor serving with the Canadian Artillery, famously made note of this phenomenon in his poem, In Flanders Fields.
Click here for a list of locations where you can find a poppy donation box.