Office Depot Celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week Across The U.S. And Puerto Rico

Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), celebrating 25 years as a leading global provider of office supplies and services, will be hosting more than 100,000 teachers at its retail stores as part of the Company's signature Teacher Appreciation Week across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Now in its eighth year, Office Depot's Teacher Appreciation celebration recognizes teachers for their ongoing commitment to the classroom with discounts, special offers and breakfasts in their honor.

The Teacher Appreciation Week events will be held at Office Depot stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico during the weeks of July 30, August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27. Teachers can find out the date of their local store's event by visiting www.mystarteacher.com/tab.

"Office Depot is honored to reward teachers for their hard work and the time they dedicate to their students in the classroom," said Adriana Vethencourt, Director of Loyalty Marketing for Office Depot. "Our Star Teacher Program is designed to thank teachers for all the work they do throughout the school year, and to make the back-to-school shopping experience convenient and rewarding for them."

During Teacher Appreciation Week, both new and existing members of the Office Depot Star Teacher Program are invited to enjoy a 20 percent instant discount on qualifying in-store purchases in addition to everyday Star Teacher benefits.

Star Teacher members attending the local breakfast event in their area will also receive a FREE Star Teacher Tote Bag filled with samples of Office Depot Brand products and a Coupon Book with a year's worth of savings. Event sponsors include Brother(R), Carson-Dellosa, Command(TM), Five Star(R), Foray(R), Post-it(R) and Scotch(R). All complimentary gifts are subject to availability.

With the current challenging economic environment, educators are using their own money to purchase needed supplies, books and other items like hand sanitizer, tissues and refreshments for their classroom. In fact, according to a recent survey by the National School Supply and Equipment Association, teachers are spending an average of $356 out of their own pockets on supplies for the classroom annually*.

Mike Gordon, Store Manager of an Office Depot location in Atlanta said, "In my store, I always witness teachers reaching into their own pockets to purchase supplies for their students. The Teacher Appreciation breakfasts help us say 'Thank You' to the educators in our community for their commitment to the classroom."