<\/p>\n
WILKES-BARRE \u2014 A unique food drive was held Saturday afternoon in Kirby Park, where community members with a common interest gathered to socialize and exercise.<\/p>\n
The common interest they share is the free mobile game \u201cPok\u00e9mon Go,\u201d which uses real-world locations to encourage people to explore their surroundings. The \u201cPok\u00e9mon Go\u201d players who came together on Saturday were encouraged to donate food items, and, in return, they\u2019d have a chance to win raffle prizes.<\/p>\n
Saturday was also the first day of the global Pok\u00e9mon Go Wild Area event.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo get tickets for our raffle prizes, we had everybody donate food,\u201d said Robbie Banyas, who organized the event.<\/p>\n
Banyas and a few friends helped revive the local \u201cPok\u00e9mon Go\u201d community, which had gone dormant for some time following the game\u2019s initial release in 2016, within the past year or so. The group of local players she has connected with through the game numbers in the hundreds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot more people who play [\u2018Pokemon Go\u2019] than you would think,\u201d Banyas said. \u201dWe have people from all walks of life, people of all ages.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the Pok\u00e9mon franchise may appear childish to some, Banyas said that the stakes of Saturday\u2019s event were serious. It all came together under the weight of the federal government shutdown, which lasted 43 days before finally concluding on Wednesday. The tail end of the shutdown coincided with a pause in the distribution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.<\/p>\n
Banyas said that although the members of her group became fans of Pok\u00e9mon as kids, their continued interest has allowed them to make a real difference as adults.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we\u2019re all adults, and we can actually use this thing we love to give back to the community around us,\u201d Banyas said.<\/p>\n
The food drive, hosted by the \u201cPok\u00e9mon Go\u201d group, will continue on Sunday. Banyas said they will be based under the pavilion from about 10 a.m. until dusk.<\/p>\n
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