A century-old program that funds donations for veterans, families, and communities in need.
Distributions
The VFW Buddy Poppy program provides compensation to the veterans who assemble the poppies, provides financial assistance in maintaining state and national veterans’ rehabilitation and service programs and partially supports the VFW National Home For Children.
Proceeds from Buddy Poppy distributions (poppies are free, but donations are appreciated) have supported programs for hospitalized veterans, the National Home for Children Connecticut House, and even a free Firemen’s Dinner during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
History of the VFW Buddy Poppy
Before Memorial Day in 1922, the VFW conducted a poppy distribution, becoming the first veterans’ organization to organize a nationwide distribution. The poppy soon was adopted as the official memorial flower of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, as it remains today.
During the 1923 encampment, the VFW decided that the VFW “Buddy”® Poppies would be assembled by disabled and needy veterans who would be paid for their work to provide them with financial assistance. The next year, disabled veterans at the Buddy Poppy factory in Pittsburgh assembled VFW Buddy Poppies. The designation “Buddy Poppy” was adopted at that time.
Today, our Buddy Poppies are still assembled by disabled and needy veterans in VA Hospitals.