A poppy box was stolen from a Tim Hortons at 1801 Eglinton Ave. West near Dufferin Street on Tuesday.

Police say the crime took place in the middle of the day.

Wayne Powell, a Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Chairman, vented his frustration with what seems to be a yearly occurrence leading up to Remembrance Day.

“When some lowlife scum just steals poppy boxes, they are stealing from veterans who made this country what it is today and it just makes my blood curdle,” he fumed.

Police later found the torn box with poppies scattered on the ground behind a beer store near Oakwood and Vaughan.

“Unfortunately only 15 cents was left behind,” said Const. Eitan Hadad.  “It’s kind of heart-breaking that somebody would do this.”

“An unknown person had come in, grabbed the poppy box off the counter and fled the scene.”

So far there’s no suspect description, but police are hoping someone in the Tim Hortons might have seen the crime unfold, and they are urging witnesses to come forward.

Twenty seven branches of the Royal Canadian Legion raised over $1 million from the poppy campaign in 2011.

“It seems like a lot of money but the needs of the veterans eats that up very, very quickly,” Powell stressed.

Last year poppy boxes were stolen from two different Tim Hortons in Hamilton, and another was swiped from a pizza shop in Etobicoke.