Office Depot and OfficeMax Stores Celebrate Over $14 Million Raised to Support Teachers and Students with Back-to-School Essentials at Title I Schools Nationwide Since 2020

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08/26/2024 - 09:00 AM

The Company Teams Up with Customers to Raise Donations for Local Schools, Hosts its Start Proud!^® Community Investment Program, and Rewards Teachers with Exclusive Offers to Start the New School Year Feeling Confident, Prepared and Proud

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Office Depot announced they have donated over $14 million since 2020 to support education, leveraging its nationwide retail footprint and online marketplace. The school supply drive program has supported nearly 2,500 Title I public schools since its inception, impacting nearly 100,000 teachers, and supplying nearly 1.25 million students with brand new school supplies, classroom furniture, technology and more to start the new school year.

The company partnered with Round It Up America^® to enable every Office Depot and OfficeMax location to raise funds, in-store and online, to support a Title I public elementary, middle, or high school in the store's local community.

Teachers from the schools participate in free exclusive school shopping events to select furniture, supplies and more, to help create more efficient and productive learning environments for students. All teachers can now create Classroom Wish Lists, earning 5% back in rewards on qualifying purchases made from their list, and 5% back for their school in credits for free supplies through our Give Back to Schools program. Teachers can also benefit from exclusive Teacher Deals and Online Discounts with Teacher Verification to save on the items they need most. Many items can be delivered to them at the school with Same-Day Delivery or can be made available for pickup at their local Office Depot or OfficeMax store.

"Caring for the communities we serve is a driving part of our company culture. We are proud to host donation drives in all our Office Depot and OfficeMax locations, helping provide teachers and staff at local Title I schools with the resources they need to succeed," said Kevin Moffitt, executive vice president of The ODP Corporation and president of Office Depot. "Thanks to our customers' generosity and our associates' support, necessary supplies, classroom furniture, technology and more will be available to support continued growth and potential for a future generation."

Start Proud!^® Program

The company also helps to support education through The ODP Corporation’s philanthropic program Start Proud!^®, where nearly $500,000 worth of educational supplies and equipment are provided to students and teachers of Title I elementary schools across the country with the generosity of our many vendor partners, including Boise Paper, Domtar, and Crayola^®.

Celebrating the seventh anniversary of the program, associate volunteers from The ODP Corporation—including Office Depot, ODP Business Solutions, and VEYER—assembled 4,000 premium backpacks filled with nearly $500,000 worth of school supplies—like notebooks, composition books, pencils, highlighters, and more—to provide to students at four Title I schools nationwide. Each backpack includes a box of Crayola^® crayons and markers as part of a donation valued at $100,000 from Crayola^® to the Start Proud!^® program.

The second portion of Start Proud!^® kicks off in late September through October with a series of Title I teacher shopping sprees. With support from Domtar and Boise Paper, each school will also receive a $20,000 in-store credit at Office Depot OfficeMax to benefit teachers by helping them with critical classroom essentials. This benefit helps alleviate the out-of-pocket purchases made by teachers, averaging $750–$1,000 each school year.^1,2The backpacks will be distributed at Start Proud!^® signature on-campus school pep rallies throughout August, where school administrators, teachers, and The ODP Corporation associates are teaming up to host the celebratory events, unveil the donations and welcome students back to school during their first week. Four special teachers will also be selected by their principals and surprised with an All-Star Teacher award in recognition of their dedication to education and extraordinary contributions to the students beyond the classroom. Each All-Star Teacher will receive products, including new technology, furniture, and teaching supplies valued at over $2,500.

Give Back to Schools Program

Additionally, students, parents, teachers, and friends who shop online at officedepot.com or in Office Depot and OfficeMax stores can help to support the local school of their choice with any qualifying purchase. Shoppers can simply provide the name or Give Back To Schools ID number of their desired school at checkout (in-store or online) and their designated school will receive 5% back in credits for free supplies, through the Give Back to Schools program.

Visit officedepot.com or speak with a friendly store associate at a local Office Depot or OfficeMax store to learn more.

¹		Source: AdoptAClassroom.org, Teachers Spend $745 a Year on Supplies: The Cost of Distance Learning, June 15, 2020.
²		Source: NewsDirect, Teachers Spending More Out of Pocket on School Supplies Than Ever Before, August 18, 2021.

About Office Depot

Office Depot, LLC, an operating company of The ODP Corporation, is a leading specialty retailer providing innovative products and services delivered through a fully integrated omnichannel platform of Office Depot and OfficeMax retail stores and an award-winning online presence, OfficeDepot.com, to support the productivity and organization of its small business, home office and education clients. Office Depot is committed to enabling its clients’ success, strengthening local communities and providing equal opportunities for all. For more information, visit officedepot.com, download the Office Depot app on your iPhone or Android and follow @officedepot on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

About The ODP Corporation

The ODP Corporation (NASDAQ:ODP) is a leading provider of products and services through an integrated business-to-business (B2B) distribution platform and omnichannel presence, which includes world-class supply chain and distribution operations, dedicated sales professionals, a B2B digital procurement solution, online presence and a network of Office Depot and OfficeMax retail stores. Through its operating companies Office Depot, LLC; ODP Business Solutions, LLC; and Veyer, LLC, The ODP Corporation empowers every business, professional, and consumer to achieve more every day. For more information, visit theodpcorp.com.

Office Depot is a trademark of The Office Club, LLC. OfficeMax is a trademark of OMX, Inc. ODP and ODP Business Solutions are trademarks of ODP Business Solutions, LLC. Veyer is a trademark of Veyer, LLC. Varis is a trademark of Varis, Inc. Any other product or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.