'Touchless' donation boxes: Digital poppies now available

You likely won't see as many poppy boxes around this fall. Some local businesses will still carry them but challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic have reduced the number of locations they will be distributed at, as well as the number of volunteers who will be out collecting donations.

Tammy Wheeler, executive director of the Alberta-NWT Command for the Royal Canadian Legion, says the organization will be trying different things this year to help keep volunteers safe, many of whom are older and may be at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

Digital poppies have been available since 2018, but they may be more popular this year due to the pandemic.

"You can go online and you can donate directly to our national office," Wheeler says.

"And when you do that, you can dedicate a poppy to someone."

An example of a digital poppy. Courtesy: Mypoppy.ca/

To order your digital poppy, visit mypoppy.ca and follow the prompts.

All poppy funds go to support veterans by providing them with medical supplies, food, shelter, clothing, and anything else they may need.

If you wish to make an in-person donation and receive a physical poppy, you can do so by contacting your local legion branch.