SEA GIRT Project P.A.C.K.M.A.N is open to those in the 7th through 12th grades. The group meets at the Manasquan Community Center, 61 Atlantic Ave. Participants must sign a pledge to stay alcohol-, drug-, tobacco- and trouble-free. For more information, call Sea Girt Patrolman Robert Melendez at (732) 449-7300. Forget the Casbah. These young musicians rocked the elementary school Thursday night during a free concert to benefit local food pantries.

The musicians are members of Project P.A.C.K.M.A.N., a group that encourages teens to stay away from harmful influences such as drugs and alcohol and focus on their musical talents during Friday night jam sessions with local police officers. Patrolman Robert Melendez, a Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer at the elementary school the past 16 years, founded Project P.A.C.K.M.A.N more than three years ago.

He said the pupils noticed that he had talent after participating in one of the school’s variety shows. Some even asked him to front their bands. Melendez, a Howell resident who is married with two children, said he began to envision the group as a way to connect with youngsters. “I thought it was something I should tap into,” he recalled before the concert, which hoped to raise 1,000 pounds of food for the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Admission to the event was free with a donation of a packaged food item. P.A.C.K.M.A.N is an acronym for Police and Community Kids Music Against Narcotics. There are now about 40 members in the group, including Melendez’s 15-year-old daughter, Emily, who plays the bass. Three other men also volunteer their time with the students. Melendez and Ralph Elia, a special police officer in town, both sing and play guitar.