Minnesota’s Fourth District uses its monthly rucks to deliver items to the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.
When he first started monthly rucks to the Minneapolis VA Medical Center last March, American Legion Department of Minnesota Fourth District Commander Jonathan Haworth did so as a way for he and his fellow veterans to get some exercise and experience quality time together.
But the rucks also included bringing food to the VAMC’s food pantry – and that’s when Haworth learned the additional value of their monthly exercise outings.
At the conclusion of this month’s ruck, scheduled to take place Nov. 15, the Fourth District’s rucks will have surpassed more than 1,000 pounds of food donated to the Minneapolis VA Medical Center’s monthly Pop-Up Veteran Food Pantry. The pantry provides free fresh produce, shelf-stable pantry items and a couple of freezer/frozen items.
Haworth noted that since October 2025, the Minneapolis VAMC’s food pantry has assisted nearly 2,400 veterans and veteran households, and distributed more than 2,800 28-pound food boxes. Among those assisted were more than 600 children under age 17.
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‘We started this thing wanting to get people together and get people out walking and stuff,” said Haworth, a realtor who specializes in helping veterans get set up with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including VA home loans and property tax exemptions. “I didn’t really realize at the time how big of an issue veteran food insecurity is. If we can get food and supplies out to veterans and their families, it’s awesome to be a part of.”
The idea for the rucks came to Haworth when he learned his brother, with whom he served in the Army National Guard’s infantry, was staging his own rucks in Rochester. That prompted Haworth to remember someone previously mentioning conducting food shelf ruck marches, and he decided to combine that with the exercise component.
“Physical fitness used to be a key thing in our life in the military. And it’s just not anymore. So we started talking about doing different things, and then we found out that the Minneapolis VA has this food pantry. So then I started talking to the people at the food pantry and told them we’d really love to get a bunch of people together and donate, and could we do it a set day every month. And they were like ‘absolutely.’”
The rucks take place on the third Sunday of the month, which coincides with members of the Fourth District visiting patients at the Minneapolis VAMC. They initially started the ruck from Minnehaha Regional Park, which Haworth said was roughly 3.5 miles round-trip to and from the Minneapolis VAMC, but now leave from the Tipsy Steer restaurant because of easier parking.
Haworth has between five and 10 people show up each month, and as word of mouth spreads, Legionnaires from a little further away began attending. “We had people from not only Minneapolis and St. Paul, but we had people coming from St. Michael, from Becker, St. Cloud – and St. Cloud is an hour away,” he said. “Anybody can show up. And you don’t have to have food. Part of the whole thing is camaraderie building, and what better way to do it but with a little physical exercise with your best pals.”
After dropping off the food, the group either goes to the Tipsy Steer for breakfast or American Legion Post 1 in Minneapolis for lunch before heading to the hospital to visit the veterans there.
Haworth said the rucks are a way to obtain both physical and mental wellness.
“I’ve been a struggling veteran, where you’re just not making the right choices in life. You’re just not making it,” he said. “These rucks, they’re great. It’s uplifting. It just feels really great. Getting out there with your friends and going for a walk is really great. Then also, helping the veterans.”
- Veterans Healthcare