Volunteers from Office Depot and the University Church of Christ in Tuscaloosa, Ala., load relief supplies donated by the Office Depot Foundation in partnership with Feed The Children.

The Office Depot Foundation "“ the independent, non-profit foundation that serves as the primary charitable giving arm of Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) "“ is helping kids and families, schools, small businesses, Office Depot associates and even pets in Alabama and the Southeast to recover following the recent devastating tornadoes.

To assist children in the hard-hit Tuscaloosa area, the Office Depot Foundation is donating 5,000 new sackpacks and two pallets of school supplies to be distributed to schools and non-profit organizations. Another 5,000 sackpacks along with an assortment of clothing, pet supplies, personal care items and other products are being donated to Feed The Children, which is helping with relief and recovery in approximately 70 communities across five Southern states.

The sackpack and school supplies donations are part of a larger effort being carried out by the Office Depot Foundation and Office Depot. Additional measures include:

• An Office Depot Foundation donation of $21,000 to Feed The Children to sponsor the delivery of three semi tractor-trailers of food, essentials and water "“ enough to assist 1,200 families "“ for Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and other affected areas. Recipients of the supplies include Office Depot associates whose homes were damaged or destroyed, along with hundreds of other residents served by local non-profit organizations in partnership with Feed The Children. Approximately two dozen Office Depot associates volunteered to help unload the trucks at Office Depot stores in the two Alabama cities this week.

  "The Office Depot Foundation has always been a partner that Feed The Children can rely on in times of critical need," says Feed The Children spokesperson Tony Sellars. "This generous donation ensures that families going through the recovery process will have food and other essential supplies." Each family will receive a 25-pound box of food, a 10-pound box of personal care items, a box of Avon products and water. The boxes are designed to help a family for up to one week.

• A donation of $3,000 to the Ryan Newman Foundation for relief and recovery efforts to help care for pets in the affected areas along with GPS units for relief workers to use. Newman is the Stewart-Haas Racing teammate of Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

  "It's heart-wrenching to see people and their pets struggling with total devastation," Newman says. "Krissie and I greatly appreciate the Office Depot Foundation's kind donation to our efforts. It is a wonderful supporter of the Ryan Newman Foundation and does great work when it comes to disasters. Its efforts helping families and pets in communities around the world are amazing."

• Office Depot stores in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Huntsville and Decatur, Ala., are offering free in-store fax services (up to 25 pages local and long-distance) and free mobile phone charging to customers through the end of May to assist them with the relief efforts.
• The Office Depot Foundation continues to support the National Disaster Help Desk for Business, which is managed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center. The Help Desk began receiving inquiries and reaching out to the affected areas immediately after the storms had passed. Businesses and non-profit organizations needing assistance "“ as well as those that want to help with relief and recovery "“ can call the Help Desk toll-free 24 hours a day at 1-888-MY-BIZ-HELP (888-692-4943).

"Once the immediate relief efforts are over, the people of Alabama and other tornado-ravaged states will begin the long and difficult process of rebuilding," says Office Depot Foundation President Mary Wong. "We will continue to offer assistance to the best of our ability in the months ahead."

The Office Depot Foundation is accepting donations to support its recovery and rebuilding efforts at www.officedepotfoundation.org/donations.

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.

About Office Depot
Celebrating 25 years as a leading global provider of office supplies and services, Office Depot is Taking Care of Business for millions of customers around the globe. For the local corner store as well as Fortune 500 companies, Office Depot provides supplies and services to its customers through 1,641 worldwide retail stores, a dedicated sales force, top-rated catalogs and global e-commerce operations. Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $11.6 billion, and employs about 40,000 associates around the world. The Company provides more office supplies and services to more customers in more countries than any other company, and currently sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 55 countries.

Office Depot's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com and http://socialpress.officedepot.com/.

Listen Learn Care Foundation

Listen Learn Care Foundation

Compassionate. Creative. Committed.

As an independent, non-profit foundation, the Listen Learn Care Foundation (formerly the Office Depot Foundation) strives to make a difference to children, families and communities across the United States and around the world. In keeping with its mission, Listen Learn Care®, the Foundation supports a variety of programs that:

• Give children tools to succeed in school and in life
• Build the capacity of nonprofit organizations through collaboration and innovation
• Help communities prepare for disasters, as well as recovering and rebuilding afterwards

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