Poppy donation box misunderstanding resolved

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Reports of an alleged theft involving Strathmore’s Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund donation boxes have been disputed, after verification with various legions and Poppy Fund coordinators deemed the complaint unfounded.
On Nov. 7, Strathmore RCMP received a complaint about an unknown male attending the Strathmore Shell gas station and the nearby Tim Hortons claiming to be a member of the legion and switching out the donation boxes with an empty container.
The incident raised red flags with local residents who didn’t recognize the man and contacted local authorities. It was later established that the man, whose name was not released, was a very eager volunteer from Calgary who went above and beyond in collecting a total of four boxes in Strathmore that he was not tasked to collect. The money is accounted for and will be returned. The misunderstanding is being regarded as no theft.
“It wasn’t a theft; it was reported to us as a theft (and) we were looking for public assistance, but as soon as it was cleared up we put out an update to say it wasn’t a theft, it was a misunderstanding,” said Cpl. Laurel Scott with the RCMP media relations group.
According to Strathmore Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 10 Poppy Chairman Don Good, the legion in Calgary apologized for the incident. He estimated the amount of money in the boxes to be roughly $100.
“He made a mistake. I don’t know the gentleman; I’ve seen his picture but I haven’t talked to him, but the RCMP has given a clean bill of health,” said Good.
“It was a bad mix-up but it’s not an uncommon thing. It happens quite often in Calgary and we had it happen once here in a store east of Strathmore where another outfit picked it up. But they apologized to us … (and) they’re going to replace the boxes that the gentleman took.”
Last year the Poppy Fund raised $43,000. Good said it’s too early to tell but he’s optimistic about funds raised this year.