where to – National Poppy Day begins Memorial Day weekend on May 22, renewing a tradition tied to John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields.” The Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion sell poppies in exchange for donations, with funds directed to veterans’ support pro
Thousands of flags have already started appearing over Arlington National Cemetery, and for many families, the build-up to Memorial Day weekend carries a familiar rhythm: place something small, but meaningful, where grief has a name. For generations, that gesture has often included a red poppy.
National Poppy Day is May 22, marking the start of Memorial Day weekend and bringing the holiday’s signature flower back into view. The poppy is used to remember service members killed in combat—especially those from World War I.
The tradition traces back to the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. McCrae. a Canadian who served as a surgeon during the Great War. based the poem on the flowers he saw in Belgium after the Second Battle of Ypres. The push to turn the poppy into a national symbol came later. led by Moina Michael. a professor at the University of Georgia. She led a campaign to adopt the flower to remember the war dead. wrote a response poem to McCrae titled “We Shall Keep Faith. ” and convinced the Georgia chapter of the American Legion to adopt the flower as its symbol in 1920. The national organization voted to adopt the flower in the same year.
In the countries of the Allied Powers in World War I, the practice spread and has carried on since. In European and British custom, the poppy is typically worn on Remembrance Day, Nov. 11, to mark the end of the war.
For those volunteering during the Memorial Day season, the meaning is personal. “Every time we wear a poppy. we are honoring and paying our respects to those who gave their lives for our freedom. ” said Gabriella Ramos. Department of California poppy chair for the American Legion Auxiliary. in a news release. “I not only think of them, but also their families.”.
Where to get Memorial Day poppies
The two largest distributors of Memorial Day poppies are the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. Both organizations offer facsimiles of the flowers in exchange for donations. Local chapters typically host events leading up to Memorial Day where the poppies are distributed.
The VFW says it held its first nationwide distribution of poppies in 1922 after the Franco-American Children’s League dissolved. The league had conducted a nationwide fundraiser using the flower to benefit children in the devastated areas of France and Belgium, according to the VFW.
Two years after that first VFW nationwide distribution, the organization said disabled veterans assembled the flowers at the “Buddy Poppy” factory in Pittsburgh to provide them financial assistance. Veterans in need still assemble “Buddy Poppies” today.
The American Legion began its poppy distribution in 1924, according to its website, and like the VFW, it distributes the flowers through events held by local chapters leading up to Memorial Day.
Where does the money go?
Both organizations say the funds they raise go to veterans’ causes.
Ramos said in the release that donations support “Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation needs” as well as mission projects the American Legion Auxiliary supports, including the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, Armed Services YMCA food pantry locations, and support for Honor Flights.
The VFW says its donations fund financial assistance to veterans in need, maintenance for state and national veterans’ rehabilitation and service programs, and support for the VFW National Home.
Through all of the history—poems. campaigns. and the steady work of local chapters—the poppy remains what it has always been meant to be: a visible reminder that the service members lost in war didn’t vanish from the country’s story. They stayed, in families and in communities that keep placing something red where remembrance belongs.
Memorial Day poppies National Poppy Day Veterans of Foreign Wars American Legion Buddy Poppy Arlington National Cemetery Moina Michael John McCrae Honor Flights veterans donations