Office Depot Foundation Donates 1,500 New Sackpacks to Help Puerto Rico Children Succeed in School

Since 2001, the Office Depot Foundation has helped more than 2.5 million children – including students in Puerto Rico – succeed in school through its National Backpack Program.

On Wednesday, July 27, the Foundation – the independent charitable giving arm of Office Depot^® (NYSE:ODP) – will donate 1,500 new sackpacks in five colorful designs to children served by non-profit organizations and schools in Puerto Rico. The Foundation will present the sackpacks, which contain essential school supplies, during a special "Back-to-School Celebration” beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Office Depot store located at Ave. San Patricio 104 Esq. Gonzalez Giusti in Guaynabo.

Through the award-winning National Backpack Program, which is now in its 11^th year, the Office Depot Foundation will help deserving children prepare for school by donating 350,000 sackpacks across the United States and internationally. The newly designed sackpacks, which were specially created for the Foundation, reflect and respond to changes in the ways that children are taking their materials to school.

"In keeping with our mission – Listen Learn Care - we’ve created these fun and exciting sackpacks in response to what kids have told us they like,” says Foundation President Mary Wong. "We are thrilled to donate these very cool sackpacks to more children in a single year than ever before.

"Every year, we have seen our donations bring hope to children whose families might not be able to afford to buy school supplies,” Wong continues. "Parents and teachers alike tell us that we truly are helping children to build self-confidence, boost self-esteem and achieve greater success in the classroom – all as a result of being properly prepared for school.”

Special guests scheduled to participate in the sackpack presentations include:

• Sandra González, Directora de Ventas y Mercadeo, Cámara de Comercio de Puerto Rico
• José A. Santos, President of the Camara De Comercio De Bayamon Inc.

The non-profit organizations, schools and agencies scheduled to receive sackpacks include:

• Fundación Pro Hospital del Niño de PR
• Fundación de Niños San Jorge
• Fundación Puertorriqueña de Síndrome Down
• Fundación Chana y Samuel Levis
• Programa Head Start Municipio de Bayamón
• Hogar Escuela Sor María Rafaela

To provide its sackpacks to children in 2011, the Foundation is hosting 25 "Back-to-School Celebrations” in Puerto Rico and other cities across the U.S. – five of which will include Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet in the NASCAR^® Sprint Cup Series™. Thousands of sackpacks also are being donated through Office Depot stores in hundreds of local communities and in collaboration with Office Depot’s Business Solutions Division in select cities.

About the Office Depot Foundation

The Office Depot Foundation is an independent foundation (tax exempt under IRC Sec. 501(c)(3)) that serves as the independent charitable giving arm of Office Depot, Inc. In keeping with its mission, Listen Learn Care^®, the Foundation supports a variety of programs that help children succeed in school and in life; enable civil society (non-profit) organizations to become more efficient and effective; help people and businesses prepare for disasters, then recover and rebuild afterwards; strengthen local communities through grants, product donations and volunteerism; and encourage community development through entrepreneurship and economic innovation. For more information, visit www.officedepotfoundation.org.