Play It Forward: 'Pokemon Go' Players Encouraging Donations

Some "Pokemon Go" players are asking participants to bring a canned food item or cash for charities to gatherings for the popular game.

Players in Concord and Manchester, New Hampshire, have started Poke-Aid. The Facebook group asks fellow players searching for the digital creatures on their smartphones to bring the donations to Pokemon meetings in parks and other public places. There's a similar effort in Connecticut.

Pat O'Mara noticed how people started gathering at designated "Pokecrawls" in Manchester and organized two "Play it Forward" events in Livingston Park.

"I started thinking, 'This many people in that area just to play 'Pokemon Go.' Why not set up food drives and also clothes because we're getting closer to winter,' " the 20-year-old organizer said Tuesday. "There's a lot of homeless. ... I wanted to help out as much as I can."

O'Mara said he'd like to expand the events to include blood drives and walks to raise awareness of cancer.

Dave Roehrig of Poke-Aid Concord tells WMUR-TV a recent event collected nearly $70 and 301 canned food items for the New Hampshire Food Bank.