Standing in front of the newly renovated Cenotaph in Victoria Park, Mayor Matt Brown became the first person in London to have a poppy pinned to his lapel as the annual National Poppy Campaign kicked off Friday.
The Royal Canadian Legion's annual initiative raises funds for veterans in need.
"We are working on establishing a home for homeless veterans. We are really sad that there is still homeless veterans around, so we are really trying to jump in and support that cause," said Legion Zone Commander Casper Koevoets.
It's hoped up to a dozen units in a new low-rise apartment building planned on Hamilton Rd. could be set aside for veterans who are currently living on the streets.
In addition to shelter, money from the Poppy Fund is also used to get veterans food, medical care, and medical appliances.
"We don't make a distinction between old veterans and young veterans. They are all veterans and all of them are under a great deal of stress because of the type of work they did on our behalf," said Koevoets. "We want to make sure we don't forget them and they are taken care of."
The poppy boxes will be placed in retail stores, restaurants and other establishments throughout the city until Remembrance Day. The poppy was adopted in 1921 as a symbol of remembrance and gratitude.
Brown, who recently became a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, called it a privilege to receive the first poppy in the city.
"It reminds me how important it is for us as a community to come together every Remembrance Day to tell our veterans, to tell the men and women who served in the Canadian Forces that we will never forget their sacrifice," he said.
Brown's grandfather was a Second Lieutenant with the Queen's Own Rifles who helped to liberate Holland during the Second World War. His grandmother was a member of the Canadian Women's Army Corps, a non-combatant branch of the Canadian Army for women established during the Second World War.
Thousands of Londoners will gather to salute Canada’s veterans and war dead at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony downtown on November 11. As part of the service, veterans, Canadian Forces personnel, police officers, and cadets will march up Wellington St. to the Cenotaph.