(l to r) Dick DiDomizio, PLPA President, Gina DaBiere-Gibbs, Director of Tourism, Fulton County Chamber, presents check to Jack Valachovic on behalf of NOAH, Mick Brenno, PLPA, Chair of the Peck’s Lake Triathlon
175 athletes participated in the Third Annual Peck’s Lake Challenge Sprint Triathlon, held on Saturday, August 4 on and around Peck’s Lake, located in the towns of Johnstown and Bleecker in Fulton County, NY. $1,000 was raised by the event to benefit NOAH (Needy or Alone and Hungry) Program, located at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Johnstown. The event was co-presented by the Peck’s Lake Protective Association and the Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
The NOAH Community Meal Program, sponsored by St. John’s Episcopal Church, is a volunteer group serving free meals to the public every Sunday in Johnstown. The program was started as a free community meal on Thanksgiving and Christmas. In 1992, volunteers took the initiative to expand the program to a weekly event, serving meals every Sunday. The volunteer prepared meals are served to anyone needing companionship and a hot meal – there are no questions asked. Everyone that comes to the NOAH table is entitled to a meal.
NOAH serves at least 700 meals each month with the number climbing as high as 1400 per month in especially hard times. NOAH has grown into an ecumenical program with fourteen teams of volunteers, many of them sponsored by local churches and service groups, preparing meals on a rotating basis throughout the year.
“We are pleased to help present an event such as the Triathlon and then be able to donate a portion of the proceeds to such a worthy cause,” stated Gina DaBiere-Gibbs, Director of Tourism at the Fulton County Chamber. “Fulton County is fortunate to have such a great event and a much needed meal program.”
For more information about the NOAH program, please call St. John’s church office at 762-9210.
Triathlon results for all participants can be found on the Fulton County Chamber website. Photos from the event can be found on the Visit Fulton County, NY Facebook page.