The Royal Canadian Legion's 2016 poppy campaign got underway Friday in Steinbach and area. Poppies are worn to honour war veterans and police personnel in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day. Spokesperson Christie Borkowsky says they started distributing poppies Friday afternoon to local businesses, schools and other venues in Steinbach and surrounding communities like Grunthal, Landmark, Piney and Woodridge. She adds they continue to be very popular.

"We start off most years with a supply of about 14,000 poppies and some of the boxes come back with a few left and we re-organize those and store them for the following year. But I'd say we distribute 12,000-14,000 poppies. I made sure I ordered a few extras this year since last year they went pretty fast."

Members of Stoneybrook Air Cadets, Steinbach Scouts and Steinbach Girl Guides are at Clearspring Centre, Walmart and Superstore this weekend offering poppies. Borkowsky adds people are invited to make a donation when they pick up a poppy and outlines how that money is used.

"The first priority is to assist any veterans that need additional assistance. But beyond that we are also able to, through a special permission, use poppy funds to be of benefit to the community at large. So in this past year we made a large donation to the Bethesda Regional Health Centre to allow them to purchase a new spirometer machine which assists in assessing peoples' breathing ability and lung capacity. This year we also made a donation to the Vita Hospital to purchase some new mattresses."

Furthermore, Borkowsky says they purchased two over-bed tables and four floor mats for the Bethesda Place personal care home, donated $1,000 to Deer Lodge Centre for replacement of over-bed tables and donated $500 to the Provincial Command Joint Hospital Visiting Committee - volunteers make monthly visits to veterans in Winnipeg hospitals and care homes, each time bringing a small gift (chocolate bar, Kleenex, socks, etc.). And, when a national state of emergency was declared during the Fort McMurray wildfire, a $5,000 donation was sent to the Alberta - North West Territories Provincial Command for relief efforts to aid veterans and the general public