Office Depot Foundation, Samaritan's Feet International Join Forces To Help 40,000 Children Succeed In School

To launch this new partnership, the Foundation - the independent, non-profit charitable giving arm of Office Depot(R) (NYSE:ODP) - donated 40,000 of its colorful new sackpacks to Samaritan's Feet, the humanitarian aid organization that shares a message of hope and love through washing the feet of deserving children and providing them with new shoes.

Samaritan's Feet, in turn, is distributing the sackpacks - which contain essential school supplies - along with new shoes and socks through a series of "Back to Basics Initiative" events throughout the U.S. Since July 4, Samaritan's Feet has orchestrated 38 donation events in 34 communities.

"We are exceptionally pleased to partner with Samaritan's Feet to assist children throughout the United States and beyond," says Office Depot Foundation President Mary Wong. "Our mission is to help kids succeed not only in school, but also in life. We welcome this exciting new opportunity to make a profound difference."

The Foundation's donations to Samaritan's Feet are part of its award-winning National Backpack Program, through which it will donate 350,000 sackpacks across the United States and internationally this year. Since the inception of the program in 2001, Office Depot and the Office Depot Foundation have provided more than 2.5 million backpacks and sackpacks to children.

"Serving children and families in need is a great opportunity to bring hope and encouragement to those who are struggling financially," says Manny Ohonme, founder, president and CEO of Samaritan's Feet. "We are profoundly grateful for this tremendous gift from the Office Depot Foundation as well as to the dedicated volunteers who donate their time and energy to give back to those in need in their communities."

In the months ahead, Samaritan's Feet will distribute up to 20,000 additional Office Depot Foundation sackpacks in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, Honduras and other countries.