The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 242 in Barriere is seeking public support in order to keep its doors open.
A staple that has been in the community since 1953 which continues to support various local organizations is reaching a point of uncertainty.
“It all comes down to the word support,” said Vern Buker, one of the Legion’s directors. “Everything we make from events, such as meat draws, it all goes back to the community.”
As of late, the legion has been seeing fewer people walk through the door or attend their fundraising efforts.
“We do dinners and golf tournaments and those seem to go over well,” said Eileen Miers, the Legion’s secretary. “We have tried dances but those don’t seem to turn out.”
Buker said it was hard to pinpoint exactly when the legion would have to close its doors, but it has been something on their mind and it is coming to a point where some support is needed. According to Mier, roughly $14,000 is given back to the community of Barriere on a yearly basis. The legion has donated money to organizations such as First Responders, the Hospice, Barriere’s local food bank and more.
“We need more people to come,” said Buker. “That is where our money comes from. If you don’t have the people, you don’t have the money.”
The legion makes money from the bar and that pays the bills.
“It’s stressful,” said Buker. “We need to do something in order for us to stay, but we are at a point where we are running out of answers.”
Branch 242 is one example of a trend across Canada in which Legion branches are struggling to afford the cost of keeping their spaces due to a decrease in members. According to the legion portal, the organization is losing roughly 8,000 members a year, nationally. Currently, the branch in Barriere has roughly 200 members. That number has decreased over the years and the club has dwindled from being opening five days a week to three.
“We would like to see some more support from the whole community,” said Miers. “That would be nice.”