A member of the Steinbach Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion says poppy distribution got underway last Friday in advance of Remembrance Day. Bill Richards says this year marks a special historical anniversary for Remembrance Day.

Bill Richards"This is the 100th anniversary of the ending of the First World War. There are a number of national events that are going on with that anniversary in mind."

Richards says there are also some special initiatives that will accompany the poppy campaign this year. One of them emphasizes education and says various materials will be passed along to local schools. He adds there are some really neat projects for the kids to do such as sending a postcard to the family of a veteran.

Richards says poppies are available free of charge and people are welcome to make a donation to the legion. He adds people in the southeast have traditionally been various generous with their donations and says a lot of that money stays in local communities.

"Last year, we donated $10,000 to the CancerCare Centre in Steinbach as well as $2,500 to the Stonybrook Air Cadets Squadron. Other donations in the past have been made to places like the Vita Hospital. This year, we're looking at donations to Niverville and Steinbach. We will make more of an announcement on that soon, we are just waiting for approvals."

Richards says the local legion anticipates a huge demand for poppies this year. They ordered 12,000 poppies and have another 4,000 left over from last year and he expects they will all be snapped up.