PROVIDENCE — Johnston police Officer James Seymore could hardly contain his delight when showing off the backpacks he had just bought and packed with everything on the list for each of the four grade groups.

“See, you got the Hannah Montana and the Transformers,” he said, pointing to the school bags that he just added to the collection in the ornate State Room of the State House.

Full, they weighed about 35 pounds each.

“There’s the Swiss army one, and that one’s polka dot,” he said, proudly picking out Johnston’s contribution among the pink, the purple, the plain, the patterned, the camouflage and cartoon character backpacks. “And all those boxes,” he said, pointing to supplies his International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 307 bought with the $425 they gave.

“You have no idea how much this means,” said Anne Nolan, president of Crossroads Rhode Island. In North Kingstown alone, she said, her organization serves 177 children. Seventeen families with 44 children live at the Crossroads family shelter in North Kingstown, she said. Headed their way are backpacks donated and filled by state and local police, a check for $750 from the R.I. Police Chief’s Association and classroom supplies donated by the W.B. Mason Co.

State Police Col. Brendan P. Doherty said the idea for “Kids, Cops & Classrooms,” came from Barbara Laird of his office. He didn’t announce it to the assembled peace officers, social workers, brass and press, but for lack of a budget, she baked the reception cookies herself.

The effort sprang to life in two weeks, partly to ease back-to-school worries for homeless families, and partly to show the caring role that police officers play in the community.

Pawtucket Police Chief George L. Kelley III, president of the chiefs association, said some departments returned Monday from a police convention in California and turned out backpacks three days later. He predicted even better results next time.

Officers from Foster, Glocester, Johnston, Pawtucket, Providence, Smithfield and West Warwick participated, as did sheriffs and state troopers.

Nolan remembered her happiness at new pencils and fresh notebooks when she went back to school as a child.

“You have brought joy to literally hundreds of children,” she said.

dnaylor@projo.com