Poppy patrol: Legions collect donations after Remembrance Day but still face poppy box theft

Thieves target poppy boxes Thieves continue to target poppy boxes, while Legions try to recover from a pandemic financial crunch. Chris Epp reports.

CALGARY — Brian Crewcutt and other members of Bowness Legion #238 are spending the weekend collecting poppy boxes from stores across the city.

"It's impossible to do it all in one day," he said. "we spend three or four days getting them out there and the same way to get them back."

Legions across Canada are now tabulating how much money they raised in this year's poppy campaign.

Many of those legions are struggling to keep their doors open and the pandemic made last year's poppy campaign difficult.

"We couldn't get as many cans out during COVID," said Crewcutt, "Stores were covering their counters with plexi glass and stuff, there was no where to put them and stores were closing. It was harder to get volunteers."

It's also becoming harder to protect the poppy boxes as some thieves see the unsecured cans as easy money.

INCIDENT AT CHINOOK

That's what happened at Chinook Centre on Remembrance Day.

Someone snatched the poppy box off the counter at Taco Time.

Robert Hawkes was eating in the food court and saw it happen.

"I just started chasing him and I yelled, stop that guy" said Hawkes, "and then another fellow bigger than me, heard me yell...and he took off chasing him as well...we ultimately were able to catch up with the guy, the big fellow in front of me got to him first. The guy turned around, gave up the cash, and then took off again. "

Grewcutt said even though legions put out hundreds of boxes every year, only a handful get stolen.

"They're loose on the counter," he said. "We're not nailing them down, hopefully if someone does get away with one, hopefully they needed it."