For more than 50 years, members of the Order of the Eastern Star have collected used postage stamps that are then sold to raise money for cancer projects.
Stamps are sorted and trimmed to collector specifications. The stamps are then sent to Eastern Star depots and sold by the pound to collectors, who believe they will find at least one valuable stamp in each bag.
The Eastern Star in British Columbia organized the stamp-collecting program in 1930.
More than $400,380 has been generated by selling used stamps. Last year, sales brought in $8,864, regardless of e-mail bringing the total numbers of stamps down.
This money is used to fund the purchase of specialized equipment for cancer clinics in British Columbia — equipment that is carefully researched by medical staff and in consultation with Eastern Star.
It is also used to buy material for cancer dressings, for use by anyone in the province and which can be accessed free of charge with a request from a doctor or caregiver. Cancer dressings are made by volunteers in the Comox Valley, and are made to order by size to accommodate the patient’s needs.
In recognition of hundreds of people who have collected stamps for Eastern Star, Canada Post has issued a special perpetual stamp. It commemorates Eastern Star’s 100 years in British Columbia.
— Order of the
Eastern Star