If you see 7 people carrying “ruck sacks” on the side of the road through Midwestern Ontario this week, it’s likely members of a Ruck 2 Remember, raising money and awareness to combat homelessness amongst Canadian veterans. “It represents what these guys would have carried when they were working. And, to a certain extent, the load that they carry when they get back. So you do the things, the hard things, that these guys had to do to make people think about who it is that we’re supporting,” says Lino di Julio, founder of Ruck 2 Remember. Di Julio was denied the ability to serve in Canada’s military because he is epileptic. Twelve years ago, he found another way to serve his country, by starting Ruck 2 Remember, a non-profit organization that raises money, along with the Royal Canadian Legion, to help veterans who find themselves without a home. “We have 388 branches who support this program, and it helps to take homeless veterans off the streets, get them into housing, get them into apartments, and get them a start-up kit to get them going, and get their life back in order again. Since this program began back about 13 years ago, there has been over 1400 veterans that we’ve assisted in this program,” says Royal Canadian Legion Ontario Provincial Command President, Lynn Mclellan. The seven “ruckers” left the Wingham Legion at 8 a.m. this morning, bound for Listowel. They’ll make stops in Mount Forest, Elora, and Guelph over their 4 day ruck march, which will encompass 142 kilometres. Two kilometres for every veteran or first responder, they know of, that passed away in 2025. “From my perspective, this is a really good way to connect with other veterans. I’ve done this for about four years now, and I’ve seen the way it reaches people in the local communities,” says Yarden Caplan, who has served in Canada’s military for the past eight years. This week’s ruck march is the organization’s largest fundraiser. In the winter, they also do, in person outreach, looking for homeless vets on the streets of major cities. “We have found veterans on the street just by walking around. So, I just like being part of the process,” says Caplan. The Ruck 2 Remember will wrap up on Saturday in Guelph. Of the roughly 610,000 Canadian veterans, Statistics Canada says approximately, 2,000 are unhoused. “It’s like, okay, it could be like a run for any number of worthy causes. But, you know, you see some guys with Canadian flags and with rucksacks, people are like, oh, this is a military thing, right. And it gets them keyed in right away on what it is that we’re trying to do and represent,” says di Julio, Ruck 2 Remember Founder. “It certainly helps to have people out there, as opposed to just selling raffle tickets and raising money. It’s an actual visual presentation to have these folks out on the road with their flags, and their backpacks, and their rucksacks. It’s quite a visual presence,” says Legion Commander, Mclellan.
