SARANAC LAKE ­– The 3rd Annual ADK Unite event pumps into action Sunday.

This virtual event happens over the entire month of May where participants log their “miles moved” to raise funds for 10 different area food pantries.

“This is our third year doing this event,” Doug Haney, founder and owner of Bike Adirondacks, said.

“It’s virtual run, ride, walk, hike, anything you can do to get active during the month of May. The entire goal of it is to raise money for our community food pantries.”

In 2019, ADK Unite raised $4,000. Last year, funds raised doubled to $8,000. This year’s goal is $12,000.

“It’s everywhere from kids all the way up to folks that have retired and have moved away from the Adirondacks, but still have a connection to the area,” Haney said.

“We had 144 participants last year. We’re looking to have more, and really what I would like to do is get more teams involved this year than we’ve ever had before. We have a lot of individual participation. But my goal this year is to get businesses and organizations to start a team. What that does, it allows them to enter and win prizes.”

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Prize categories are:

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“Last year, we had a group of teachers who started a community team and won 15, $25 gas cards, to Hyde Fuel,” Haney said.

“So I really would love to see more organizations and businesses involved this year. Not only because it really helps the cause of raising money for our area food pantries, but it really gives people an opportunity to get together and do something fun and get active during the spring.”

A fun new “Pro Rider Auction” is underway until 5 p.m. on Friday, April 29 with 100% of the additional funds raised going to area food pantries.

The auction allows teams to bid on a rider from the Verrazano Cycling Club (Brooklyn).

Last year, their team logged 7,840 miles to run away with the community team title.

One of the members of their Cycling Club has a home in Lake Placid,” Haney said.

“He joined his entire Cycling Club last year, and they crushed everybody’s teams by like 5,000 miles. So this year, they’ve decided what they wanted to do was instead of riding as a team, they are donating the miles that each one of their members’ rides to another local team.

“It’s kind of a fun fantasy auction where local clubs and teams can go on and bid on one of the riders from the Verrazano Cycling Club. And all the miles that that riders contributes goes to the team that wins them. And all the extra money that we raise goes directly to the food pantries as well. It’s kind of a fun way to involve Brooklyn with the North Country.”

Find full event details here: https://www.bikeadirondacks.com/events/adk-unite.

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Area food pantries benefiting from fundraising

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¯ Saranac Lake Interfaith Food Pantry

¯ Saranac Lake Interfaith Food Pantry

¯ St. Paul’s Food Pantry (serving Vermontville, St. Armand and Brighton)

¯ Lake Placid Ecumenical Food Pantry

¯ Tupper Lake Community Food Pantry

¯ Keene Food Pantry

¯ Wilmington Ecumenical Food Pantry

¯ Jay Town Hall (Ausable Forks)

¯ Clifton-Fine Community Food Pantry

¯ Waverly Food Pantry

¯ JCEO — Black Brook