For more than half a century, neither snow nor rain nor gloom of shopping malls kept members of the Knights of Columbus from hawking car raffle tickets in public shopping places.

But COVID-19 has pushed the B.C. Knights’ major fundraiser online, a permanent change they hope will result in less workload and easier reconciling of paper tickets and cash.

The move away from manning tables beside shiny cars in shopping centres was in the works before the pandemic, but COVID accelerated the decision, say the Knights of Columbus.

The move away from manning tables beside shiny cars in shopping centres was already in the works before the pandemic, said Christopher Chen, chairman of the B.C. Knights’ Charity Appeal, but COVID accelerated the decision to go from tables to tech.

“With the social distancing in place, it would be extremely difficult to secure venues to sell tickets such as our parishes, malls and supermarkets,” said Chen.

The rapid transition means a learning curve for the Knights after 58 years of paper-based ticket sales in malls and stores, but there was no other option. “With this current global pandemic, conducting the charity appeal campaign like in previous years and decades simply was not a feasible and practical option anymore,” said Chen. “The handling of the tickets, stationery and money from one person to another poses too great of a risk to everyone.”

The large drum full of paper lottery ticket receipts will be replaced by automatically generated winning numbers this year.

Instead of buying books of tickets from Knights in public spaces, purchasers this year are going online to buy their $3 tickets.

There are more than 130 local Knights of Columbus councils in B.C., and each has its own online poster and website to share with members, parishioners, family and friends. Ticket buyers make their purchase through a common purchasing portal, and the system ensures each council receives credit for its own ticket sales. To buy tickets, visit kofcdraw.net. A link to buy tickets by parish/council is provided to help buyers find a local council to support. 

The end of paper tickets also means an end to drawing winners by pulling winning tickets from a large drum. The winning numbers this year will be automatically generated on Jan. 30, with winners contacted by phone and email.

B.C. and Yukon Knights of Columbus State Deputy Dale Hofer draws a Charity Appeal ticket last February.

With ticket sales no longer taking place in shopping malls, the need for flashy cars to attract buyers in malls disappeared as well, so this year the prize structure changes with $100,000 replacing vehicles as the top prize and 14 other cash prizes ranging from $50,000 to $1,000. As in previous years ticket sales are capped at 200,000 tickets.

B.C.’s more than 12,000 Knights use the profits from the Charity Appeal for their charitable works, from local food hampers to support for hospitals, seminarians, pro-life efforts, Special Olympics, and other programs for the needy.