2021-05-04T13:20:51-05:00 2020-12-31 020449197 OSTER & WHEELER PC 86 WEST STREET PO BOX 623 KEENE NH 03431 990EZ 2020-01-01 800644387 RUCK-UP INC RUCK 6039031255 42 UPPER KNIGHT STREET KEENE NH 03431 RICH BACH TREASURER 8024427233 2021-05-04 1 RICH BACH 999009999 BELINDA S OSTER CPA MST P00033753 6033524500 2021-05-04 2 AAL1 IAL1 2020 2022-09-23 18:48:47Z X WWW.RUCK-UP.ORG X X 123798 X 120446 3350 2 123798 3324 21890 1370 65195 91779 32019 68537 0 100556 X 52272 85389 10923 10578 5342 4589 68537 100556 0 0 68537 100556 X TO HELP VETERANS IN CRISIS OR NEED, AND HELP SOLVE FINANCIAL, PHYSICAL, OR ADVOCACY NEEDS THAT CANNOT BE MET BY MEANS OF MAINSTREAM VETERAN'S ORGANIZATIONS, OR THE VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION ALONE. ADVOCACY SERVICES RUCK UP PROVIDES FOR VETERANS IN OUR CATCHMENT AREA FREE ADVOCACY AND ASSISTANCE SERVICES TO HELP WITH VA AND SOCIAL SECURITY CLAIMS. IN 2020 THAT MEANT MORE THAN $1,716,000 IN BENEFITS AND SERVICES "WON" ON BEHALF OF OUR CLIENT VETERANS WE SERVE; $6,106,000 IN THE LAST 3 YEARS ALONE. THAT INCLUDES NOT ONLY DISABILITY BENEFITS, BUT ALSO VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION BENEFITS WITH THE VA., AND FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR, 2020, OUR FIRST ADVOCACY "WINS" IN LONG-TERM DISABILITY DUE TO MEDICAL INJURY, AND A CASE WITH THE US DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION, HELPING ONE OF OUR ALLIED VETERANS BECOME A US RESIDENT. MUCH OF OUR TIME AND EFFORTS GO INTO RECORDS RETRIEVAL, INTERACTION WITH TREATING MEDICAL AGENCIES, FILING, AND PRESSING CLAIMS. THIS TAKES MUCH OF OUR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.OUTREACH SERVICES WHILE OUR OUTREACH SERVICES INCLUDE OTHER EFFORTS, A LARGE PART OF THEM IS OUR FOOD AND CLOTHING SHELF FOR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN NEED. WE HELP FILL A GAP OFTEN NOT MET BY OTHER LOCAL AGENCIES, AND WE WORK SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE KEENE COMMUNITY KITCHEN IN OUR EFFORTS. UNTIL THE RECENT PANDEMIC OUR EFFORTS ALSO INCLUDED FEEDING LOCAL AREA VETS EVERY FRIDAY WITH A " NO-COST COOKOUT AND EVERY YEAR WE FEED AREA VETS AT THANKSGIVING WHO HAVE NO ONE TO SHARE IT WITH. THIS YEAR THAT WAS NOT POSSIBLE. HOWEVER, OUR FOOD SHELF WAS STILL OPERATIONAL, AND IN 2020, RUCK UP GAVE OUT MORE THAN 5.1 TONS OF FOOD AND CLOTHING TO VETERANS IN NEED, WITH AN EST COST OF $54,500 IN FOOD & CLOTHING. IN OUR LOCAL KEENE COMMUNITY, WE INTERACT WITH OTHER COMMUNITY AGENCIES IN HELPING VETERANS WITH EMERGENCY HOUSING AND FOOD, BUT ALSO IN THE LAST FEW YEARS WE HAVE HELPED VETERANS OBTAIN HOUSING OR SAVE THE HOMES THEY ARE IN WITH "HOMELESS PREVENTION" FUNDS IN COOPERATION WITH AGENCIES SUCH AS EASTER SEALS, FRIENDS OF VETERANS, AND OUR LOCAL VVA, VFW AND AMERICAN LEGION CHAPTERS. THESE GRANTS, PAYABLE ONLY TO UTILITIES AND MORTGAGE FIRMS/LANDLORDS, ARE A MAXIMUM OF $500 PER VETERAN, PER YEAR. WE CANNOT DO MORE. BUT THE COORDINATION BETWEEN US AND OTHER AGENCIES HAS KEPT FAMILIES HOUSED IN SEVERE CIRCUMSTANCES. IN 2018, $5,200 WAS COMMITTED TO AIDING VETERANS WITH RENT, UTILITIES, AND BASIC SERVICES ASSISTANCE IN WORKING WITH OTHER AGENCIES, $13,205 IN 2019. THIS YEAR, 2020, RUCK UP HELPED PROVIDE DIRECT AID TO 71 VEREANS AND FAMILIES TO KEEP OR OBTAIN THEIR HOMES AT A COST OF $37,400. ALONG WITH THE OTHER COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS WE MAKE, RUCK UP EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST 9 NOW, HAS HOSTED AND PROVIDED TO AREA VETERANS AND FAMILIES ALL THE SUPPORTS AND SUPPLIES TO DO THE YEARLY "CANDLE VIGIL IN THE PARK". EACH MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, IN AN EFFORT SIMILAR TO THE "MOVING WALL" VETERANS GATHER TO PAY HONOR TO THE MEN AND WOMEN LOST IN SERVICE TO OUR NATION FROM OUR AREA. EVERY YEAR, MORE THAN 3,000 CANDLES THAT RUCK UP PROVIDES, ALONG WITH ALL THE SUPPORTIVE STAFF AND EQUIPMENT, HELP LIGHT UP THE CENT ER OF KEENE, NH IN HONOR OF OUR VETERANS AND THE FALLEN.COUNSELING SERVICES- RUCK UP HELPS PROVIDE VET2VET PEER COUNSELING AND AA SERVICES FOR VETERANS FROM NOT ONLY NH, BUT ALSO VT, AND WESTERN MA. IN 2020, RUCK UP PROVIDED MORE THAN 2,500 HOURS OF FREE COUNSELING SERVICES TO THE VETERANS WE SERVE. THIS INCLUDED CASE MANAGEMENT AND INTERACTION WITH THE VA MEDICAL SYSTEMS MEDICATION MANAGER AT OUR LOCAL VA CBOC, AS WELL AS DIRECT COOPERATION WITH THE VA MEDICAL CENTERS IN THE REGION FOR HOSPITALIZATION AND PSYCHIATRY FOLLOW UP SERVICES. THAT PART ALONE BECAME VERY SIGNIFICANT WITH THE VA HOSPITALS REGIONALLY "SHUTTING THEIR DOORS" FOR MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITALIZATION FOR 4 MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC, AND RUCK UP'S STAFF COORDINATING 5 SEPERATE HOSPITALIZATIONS WITH OUTSIDE MENTAL HEALTH AGENCIES TO HELP VETERANS IN CRISIS.VETERAN'S SUICIDE PREVENTION- IN ADDITION TO OUR PRIMARY EFFORTS IN ADVOCACY, OUTREACH, AND COUNSELING, RUCK UP HAS BUILT A CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION [AFSP] . RUCK UP IS NOT ONLY THE ONLY TEAM OF VETERANS THAT ATTENDS AFSP'S NATIONAL "WALK OUT OF THE DARKNESS" IN EFFORTS TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE SPECTRE OF VETERAN'S SUICIDE. RUCK UP HELPS PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION, AND ASSISTANCE TO THE VETERANS WHO MAKE UP THE TEAM AND MAKE THE WALK, PRIMARILY TO HELP THE TEAM GIVE THEIR BEST EFFORTS. NONE OF RUCK UP'S FUNDS GO TO AFSP DIRECTLY, BUT IN SUPPORT OF THE VETERAN'S MAKING THE GRUELING 18 MILE WALK AGAINST SUICIDE. THE TEAM OFVETERAN' S THEMSELVES, [MANY OF WHOM MAKE THE EFFORT DESPITE DISABILITIES], RAISE DIRECT SPONSOR MONIES TO HELP AFSP IN THEIR MISSION. IN 2020, RUCK UP WAS TASKED TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTIES OF COVID, WHILE SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS AGAINST SUICIDE, WHICH HAS HAD ITS NUMBERS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY NATIONWIDE SINCE THE FIRST "LOCKDOWNS" OF THE PUBLIC. THE SITUATION HAS BECOME SO CRITICAL, THAT THE VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION HAS ADMITTED THAT SUICIDES AMONGST VETERANS ARE AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH. SO, IN TRUE RUCK UP FASHION, AND WORKING DIRECTLY WITH AFSP, RUCK UP HOSTED A 3-MILE COMMUNITY WALK AGAIN THIS YEAR IN KEENE NH, AND AN 11 MILE "OVERNIGHT" FOR A TEAM OF VETERANS DEDICATED TO THE CAUSE. WITH THAT EFFORT, IN COMBINATION WITH THE WORK OVER THE PAST 9 YEARS, RUCK UP HAS HELPED RAISE MORE THAN $400,000 IN FUNDS RAISED FOR AFSP FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST SUICIDE.OVERALL VETERANS SERVED IN NH, VT AND MA = 311. 0 74076 74076 ANTHONY PAIGE PRESIDENT 0.00 0 0 0 RICH BACH DIRECTOR/TREASURER 0.00 0 0 0 BOB SELBY DIRECTOR 0.00 0 0 0 KATHY STANTON DIRECTOR 0.00 0 0 0 GARY PHELPS OPERATIONS MANAGER 0.00 0 0 0 GEORGE J LEGACE VICE PRESIDENT 0.00 0 0 0 RODNEY F WHITE VICE PRESIDENT 0.00 0 0 0 PAMELA J SPAULDING SECRETARY 0.00 0 0 0 HERBERT FORGEY DIRECTOR 0.00 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NH RICH BACH 159 MATTESON RD NORTH BENNINGTON VT 05257 8026818590 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NONE NONE 1 X 29472 38004 52795 133876 120446 374593 29472 38004 52795 133876 120446 374593 374593 2 3 7 11 2 25 374618 10611 0.99990 0.99990 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED FORM 990-EZ, PART I, LINE 4 - OTHER INVESTMENT INCOME DESCRIPTION: INTEREST INCOME. AMOUNT: 2. TOTAL TO FORM 990-EZ, LINE 14: 21,890. FORM 990-EZ, PART I, LINE 14 DESCRIPTION: DEPRECIATION. AMOUNT: 1,098. DESCRIPTION: OTHER EXPENSES. AMOUNT: 20,792. FORM 990-EZ, PART I, LINE 16 - OTHER EXPENSES DESCRIPTION: REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE. AMOUNT: 9,664. DESCRIPTION: LICENSES AND PERMITS. AMOUNT: 675. DESCRIPTION: OUTREACH. AMOUNT: 19,367. DESCRIPTION: FUNDRAISING EXPENSE. AMOUNT: 17,703. DESCRIPTION: INSURANCE. AMOUNT: 747. DESCRIPTION: SUPPLIES. AMOUNT: 11,035. DESCRIPTION: SUPPLIES. AMOUNT: 5,411. DESCRIPTION: MISCELLANEOUS. AMOUNT: 593. TOTAL TO FORM 990-EZ, LINE 16: 65,195. FORM 990-EZ, PART II, LINE 24 - OTHER ASSETS DESCRIPTION: OTHER ASSETS. BEG. OF YEAR AMOUNT: 970. END OF YEAR AMOUNT: 970. DESCRIPTION: OTHER DEPRECIABLE ASSETS. BEG. OF YEAR AMOUNT: 4,372. END OF YEAR AMOUNT: 3,619. THE ORGANIZATION DID NOT, DURING THE YEAR, RECEIVE ANY FUNDS, DIRECTLY,OR INDIRECTLY, TO PAY PREMIUMS ON A PERSONAL BENEFIT CONTRACT.THE ORGANIZATION, DID NOT, DURING THE YEAR, PAY ANY PREMIUMS, DIRECTLY,OR INDIRECTLY, ON A PERSONAL BENEFIT CONTRACT.