Prince George businesses have come together to help support the local Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 43, just in time for Remembrance Day.
Cassy Premack, owner of K.K.S. Tactical Supplies, found out two of the Legion's coolers were broken and wanted to do something with her family to help support veterans this Nov. 11 as ceremonies will be limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We decided that my husband and I would pay to have them fixed,” says Premack in an email.
However, the Legion informed Premack and her husband that one of the coolers was too old to be repaired and needed to be replaced.
“My husband and I have covered [the repair bill] on our own as a donation from our family. However, we couldn’t afford to also purchase a new unit on our own so we decided to ask the community of Prince George if they could help.”
Premack says she set a goal of $5,000, and chose this amount to ensure that all costs would be covered under the donation including taxes and delivery fees.
“Our business K.K.S Tactical Supplies was able to donate $1,200 and the remaining amount came from community donations.”
“We were overwhelmed with the amount of support from our customers and local businesses.”
She says local businesses like Hansen & Pedersen Contracting and Wood Wheaton Super Centre provided donations, while the PG Recycling and Return-it Centre donated $2,000 to help the Premacks meet the $5,000 mark.
“In total with PG Recycling, myself and our oldest son Kody, presented the Legion with just over $6,700 during yesterday’s executive meeting for the replacement of the second cooler,” says Premack.
“The Legion in Prince George does so much for our community and our veterans and with COVID-19 they have had a rough year. We truly hope that this donation can help ease that for them.”
Prince George’s Legion has been suffering financially since the COVID-19 pandemic began and has also been raising funds through a GoFundMe campaign, which has only garnered just $6,185 of a $20,000 goal.
“With Remembrance Day being this week we feel it is so important to show our appreciation for our Veterans who have sacrificed so much for us to keep our country safe and free. And this donation has been our way of showing our appreciation,” added Premack.
“We are so proud of the support the people of Prince George have shown. This has been a difficult year for so many of us and despite that, we are still standing together and taking care of the things in our community that need support.”
Royal Canadian Legions across Canada have been asking for federal assistance for months, saying the pandemic has hit their finances hard and forced branches across Canada to close.
This morning (Nov. 10), on the eve of Remembrance Day, the Canada announced it is moving ahead with plans to provide emergency assistance to veterans organizations battered by the COVID-19 pandemic and will set aside $20 million for veterans groups.
The federal government says the national Legion will receive $14 million to help it weather the pandemic, with the remaining $6 million divided between a number of other groups.
However, Legion dominion president Tom Irvine told The Canadian Press last month that the organization had been asking for $30 million to help stave off branch closures.
Remembrance Day ceremonies tomorrow will be limited at the Prince George Cenotaph and instead the local Royal Canadian Legion will be live-streaming and taping pre-recorded events for those who wish to participate in recognizing those lives lost in the fight for freedom.
Anyone that wishes to place a wreath or poppy at the Cenotaph will be able to do so between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
You are asked to wear a mask and follow COVID-19 social-distancing guidelines, but you're not asked to go to the Cenotaph during ceremonies.
- with files from The Canadian Press
