One of the best things about Pokémon GO is the community aspect of the game and the friends we make along the way, and seeing those communities give back to their own local areas is always incredible! Niantic have encouraged various charity events throughout the years, but seeing them set up by communities themselves just to give back is so wonderful.
On Monday I was browsing social media when I saw a post by David from As the Pokéball Turns of an amazing charity drive his PoGO community held during Mankey Community Day, and I had to learn more.
Firstly, what inspired you all to set up a charity drive?
The food drive was started with the Frisco Pokémon GO community where they try and do a yearly fundraiser for November. They wanted to give back to the community and the original owner was very involved with philanthropy events. Last year they didn’t do it, but this year they wanted to bring it back and started planning it since February.
The Addison/Carrollton/FarmersBranch (ACFB) Pokémon GO community wanted to get involved as well and help out with their event. So it was decided they would collaborate for November Community Day with Frisco.
For myself, my goals has always been for my podcast brand to get more involved within the Dallas-Fort Worth Community whether it is with Pokémon or giving back in other ways. It was a no-brainer for me to get involved and participate in the food drive.
[The drive] was planned by the Community Ambassador from Frisco, InfinityLion. He and his admin/mod team helped organize the event. Myself and ACFB would promote it to our own separate communities and encourage them to attend and participate.
What was raised and for which charity?
I’ll quote the final total provided by the Frisco admin “Pokemom”
“Approximately 600 pounds of food and a check for $2,200 just dropped off at Frisco Family Services!”
How incredible! Do you have any tips for other Pokémon GO communities who might be inspired to do something similar?
Plan a few months in advance. Seek out local food banks or non-profits who would be interested in partnering. Make sure you develop a plan to transport items, collect items, and hype it up. Positive energy is contagious.
Any plans for another charity event in the future?
We definitely plan on doing this again last year. I would like to see us do one for GO Fest. I hope other communities can do at least once a year, whether ambassador or not. Let’s bring the magic we felt in 2016 to the real world with Pokemon GO to make a positive change.
What an amazing achievement from this community group! We applaud your efforts and hope it can inspire more Pokémon GO communities to do similar events and charity drives.
