Flag-raising ceremony marks the beginning of this year's KW Poppy Fund

A flag-raising ceremony at the 530 branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Waterloo on Friday marked the beginning of this year's KW Poppy Fund campaign. 

The fund is operated by seven local service clubs and helps raise money to support veterans and their families. The campaign launches on the last Friday of October and runs until Nov. 11.

Stan Howie, chair of the KW Poppy Fund, said the last two years were challenging for many legions across the country and is hopeful donations and community involvement will bounce back this year

"The last couple of years has been really hard because you couldn't go into the malls, the liquor stores, beer stores, all these big places didn't allow you to be in so what we had to count on mostly mail in [donations]," he said.

"Some of the counter top boxes really helped us out a lot, but it was certainly down the last couple of years. Hopefully this year it'll pick up a bit and get back to where we were."

Vice-chair Bob Berg said he's grateful that even though it's been a challenging time, the community continues to show their support. 

"People still gave from their hearts because they know it's a good cause," he said, adding he's also hopeful that this year, donations and support will be back to normal.

Berg said the legion for the first time will be offering biodegradable poppies and wreaths.

"The pin stays the same, the size is almost the same. If you look at [the poppy] really closely, it's basically the same, but this one is biodegradable so it's made out of paper," he said.

Berg said Friday's ceremony is important to inform the community about the poppy fund, but it also honours those who served and continue to serve.

"It lets the community know we still remember," he said.

Berg and Howie said the community can show their support by making a donation, volunteering or simply by wearing a poppy.