Several Santa Clara Police officers played the role of Santa’s helper during Santa Clara PAL’s third annual Shop-With-A-P.A.L. program on Dec. 14.
Fifty-one Santa Clara Unified School District elementary and middle school students were paired with volunteers and officers for a holiday shopping spree at Kohl’s Department Store. Before the store opened, the children were given a shopping spree at the store and treated to a complementary buffet breakfast at Mariani’s Inn & Restaurant. They were also given an opportunity to wrap the Christmas gifts for their friends and families. Royal Coach charter buses transported them to Mariani’s.
Kohl’s generously offered all of the students a 20 percent discount on their purchases to further stretch their $150 budgets.
In addition to the event at Kohl’s, a second event took place on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) when Santa and PAL volunteers visited 10 families with elementary school children to deliver presents and a hot dinner from Mariani’s.
The program is a partnership between the SCUSD, Santa Clara Police Department, Kohl’s and Mariani’s designed to “bring uplifting holiday joy to 50 of our neediest students and families,” and is “a continuation of Santa Clara P.A.L.’s efforts to find beneficial ways to reach out to members of the Santa Clara community.”
Additional partners of the program include the Santa Clara Police Officer’s Association (SCPOA), Royal Coach Tours, Togo’s, Mio Vicino, Cramer’s Bagels, Starbucks, Stan’s Donuts, Office Max and the Santa Clara WEEKLY.
For more information on Santa Clara PAL, visit http://www.santaclarapal.org/.
