San Mateo Police Host Backpack 'PALooza' School Supplies Drive

SAN MATEO, CA — Police in San Mateo are celebrating the success of Backpack PALooza, an event hosted Wednesday that garnered supplies for children in need for the upcoming school year.

The San Mateo Police Activities League hosted the annual event from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Center. Supplies donated will go to hundreds of students in the county, according to San Mateo PAL.

The event was sponsored by Office Depot, McDonald's, the Mayer Family Foundation, Gloria Rhodes Brown and BlackRock. The nonprofit also thanked Chief Barerini and the entire San Mateo PAL team.

"This was a special back-to-school event providing local students with the supplies they need to start the school year strong," the organization said in a news release. "This effort wouldn’t be possible without the incredible generosity of our event sponsors."

San Mateo PAL, a nonprofit, was founded in 1997 to help "build the bond between cops and kids," with a goal of "keeping kids on track, in school and away from negative and troubling behaviors."

"We do this by engaging youth with police officers to create a safer community and promote the healthy physical, social, and psychological development of our youth," the nonprofit said.