The Office Depot Foundation – the independent, non-profit foundation that serves as the primary charitable giving arm of Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) – highlights its progress in serving children, families and communities around the world in its recently published 2011 Report to the Community − “Helping Children and Communities Stand Taller.”

The report discusses how the Foundation’s initiatives helped to make a difference during the preceding year in such diverse ways as supporting relief and recovery efforts in tornado-ravaged Tuscaloosa and Joplin and helping children prepare for school worldwide by donating kid-friendly sackpacks and essential school supplies.

“Whether the Office Depot Foundation is giving sackpacks to elementary school kids, inspiring middle school students to dream about their future careers or helping a community rebuild after a disaster, we consistently focus on providing the tools that children, families and communities need to succeed,” says Office Depot Foundation President Mary Wong. “In fact, our philosophy aligns with the familiar proverb: ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’”

The report describes how the Foundation expanded its signature National Backpack Program by partnering with non-profit organizations working overseas. The Foundation had helped more than 2.5 million children through this award-winning program by year’s end. It discusses the Foundation’s successful “Conversation on Community Renewal” series, which seeks to extend the benefits of its annual Weekend in Boca Civil Society Leadership Symposium by bringing together leaders from business, government and non-profits for collaborative discussions in cities around the country. 

It details the success of the Foundation’s Dream UP Career Exploration Program (presented in collaboration with USA TODAY), which has encouraged thousands of middle school students across the United States to explore their personal interests and career goals – and enabled 10 young people to experience their “dream jobs.” It highlights the valuable role that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center’s National Disaster Help Desk for Business – which is sponsored by the Foundation – played in connecting people and small businesses in need with valuable resources following the devastating tornadoes in the U.S. in 2011. 

The Report to the Community highlights the Foundation’s grants and product donations with data that was reviewed externally by PricewaterhouseCoopers. It also recaps the Foundation’s growing efforts to secure private contributions. “We’re following our own advice by implementing a number of fundraising programs designed to enhance our own sustainability and ensure that we will be able to continue our good work in the future,” Wong points out.

The 2011 Report to the Community can be viewed and downloaded from the Office Depot Foundation website at www.officedepotfoundation.org/publication_reports.asp and at the Foundation’s member page on CSRwire. 

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. 

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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