Getting ready for the 6-mile trip.
Brad Tausan and Tripp Bennett started “rucking” in 2016. If you’re not familiar with it, GoRuck is a team building endurance event based on Special Operations training. You work together as a team to complete missions wearing a rucksack or backpack with weights inside, and the amount of weight varies depending on the individual’s body weight. Brad and Tripp and their friends enjoyed the first event so much they continued looking for other rucking events and formed a group in 2018 called Gonzo Rucking with a mission to promote physical fitness through community involvement.
Gonzo Rucking has completed a few projects that fight hunger, including two during the past year to help the Storehouse.
In December, the rucking group teamed up with Duke City Crossfit to carry over 400 pounds of nonperishable foods from Duke City Crossfit to the Storehouse, a 6-mile trip one way.
Each team member carried 25 pounds of quarters to donate to the Storehouse.
After talking with the Storehouse Team, Gonzo Rucking understood that the food pantry provides not only dry foods and canned goods, but also lots of fresh produce and meats, and that the Storehouse needs financial contributions to offer those types of foods to our clients. The rucking group was inspired to do a second project to help hungry families.
Next up was a community GoRuck event, enlisting support from the community at large. To tie in the weight carrying goals with a financial gift, Gonzo Rucking decided to have each participant bring quarters in batches of $20 each until the team had 25 pounds of quarters to carry. For that event, taking place in February 2019, $500 was carried and donated to the Storehouse.
The gift and effort were a terrific boost to the Storehouse team, not only due to the creativity of combining fitness, community service, and fun into one event, but also because even 4 quarters helps the Storehouse to provide 5 meals. Truly, every effort counts.
Not many people would carry a heavy bag of canned goods on a 6-mile hike just to help others.
The group says they picked the name Gonzo Rucking because they are “unpredictable, unknown, crazy and unstoppable,” which seems to be holding true for their hunger efforts. The Storehouse team didn’t know about GoRuck events before the food drive and fundraiser happened, and our new friends at Gonzo Rucking are unstoppable. Not many people would carry a heavy bag of canned goods on a 6-mile hike just to help others.
The group usually does two rucks a month and cares about hunger. They also have completed a food drive for veterans for the Travis Manion Foundation and will have another hunger event in April 2019. Gonzo Rucking is an innovative and fun way to work on physical fitness while helping improve our community. If you’d like to get involved, check out their Facebook page, “Gonzo Rucking Crü.”
The Storehouse appreciates Gonzo Rucking and their efforts to fight hunger. If you and your crew of friends have other innovative ideas for raising funds for the Storehouse, we’d welcome them. Just contact Swarupa or Ernest at Info@StorehouseNM.org.