There will be far fewer locations in the southeast where you can pick up a poppy this year for Remembrance Day. Bill Richards chairs the Poppy Campaign for the Steinbach Legion. He says with the closure of the Ste. Anne Legion last year and a declining membership at the Steinbach Legion, they are short of volunteer drivers to distribute and pick up poppy boxes.

Bill Richards with a poppy box."It has to do with declining membership in the Legion. We've come to the reality that we have to reduce the Poppy Campaign in terms of the area we can provide poppies to. For instance, people have been used to being able to always walk into any retail outlet in Steinbach and surrounding area, make a donation and grab a poppy. Those days have passed. We have had to decide where we can deploy poppy boxes."

Richards says the legion will distribute poppy boxes to a few locations in Steinbach, but none outside of the city.

"The outlying communities like Mitchell, La Broquerie, Ste. Anne, Sarto, Sprague, Landmark, Niverville, we cannot possibly provide poppy service to those areas. As a result, people in those areas will have to make arrangements with us to come and pick up a poppy box and then return it as well."

Richards says the Steinbach Legion will be open Tuesday, October 29th and Tuesday, November 5th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for people who want to pick up poppy boxes.

He notes the legion will make sure all schools in the Hanover School Division get poppies for their students. Richards also says local Air Cadets, Scouts and Guides will be out with poppy boxes at local malls November 2nd and 9th.

Richards says there is always huge support for the Poppy Campaign in southeastern Manitoba. Last year, they distributed 12,000 poppies. He has ordered 15,000 for this year plus 6,000 poppy stickers, which are preferred by many school children.

Donations received through the Poppy Campaign all go back to the community in the form of grants to various organizations.

The Poppy Campaign begins Friday.