The Cochrane Legion was pleased with support received from the Cochrane community for the 2016 poppy campaign.

David Usherwood, Cochrane Legion First Vice President and Poppy Chairman, says 2016 was a record year for donations thanks in the most part to the new 'secure' poppy boxes.

A group of dedicated individuals and community minded businesses joined forces to create 50 steel poppy boxes this past year, in hopes to prevent theft and let the public know their donation would be safe.

Alex Baum, Jon Cornish, Dan Kroffat, EGB Manufacturing, and the Cochrane Legion masterminded the design which Usherwood will now take to higher Command.

"I am going to be writing to Alberta/ Northwest Territories Command in my region hierarchy and promoting the boxes. My memo to Command will, I believe, they should take it through Alberta and Northwest Territories to the various legions and make it available to them."

Usherwood adds a second generation of poppy boxes, lighter, and made of plastic will be available at no cost to the Legion if there's a demand for the boxes in other communities.

This year the steel boxes counted for 25% of the 204 boxes the Legion placed throughout town; Usherwood expects more businesses to come on board in the following years.

"We had some merchants tell us they couldn't,  they would welcome a poppy box because of their tethering. When in past years they would pass on it because the poppy boxes required too much supervision/ management to ensure they weren't being stolen or they weren't at risk."

The 2016 campaign to date has brought in just shy of $48,000 and remains open until October, when the 2017 campaign kicks off.

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