Foundation Has Longstanding Partnership with Oklahoma City-Based Feed
The Children
BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 23, 2013--
The Office
Depot Foundation is supporting relief and recovery efforts following
the devastating EF-5 tornado in Oklahoma with immediate contributions to
local non-profit organizations and plans to continue to assist in the
weeks and months ahead.
“This tragedy has touched us on a very personal level,” said Mary Wong,
President of the independent, non-profit Office Depot Foundation, which
serves as the primary charitable giving arm of Office Depot (NYSE:ODP).
“Office Depot has half a dozen stores in the Oklahoma City area,
including one in Moore that was narrowly missed by the tornado. We are
grateful that the store was not damaged, but a tragedy of this magnitude
clearly has an impact on our associates and our customers throughout the
region.”
The Office Depot Foundation has a longstanding relationship with Feed
The Children – the Oklahoma City-based international relief
organization – and has partnered with it to help people affected by
Hurricane Sandy, the 2011 tornadoes in Tuscaloosa and Joplin, and other
natural disasters. To assist the residents of the hard-hit areas, the
Foundation is donating $20,000 to Feed The Children to deploy food and
essential relief supplies in Moore and other areas of Oklahoma and
northern Texas.
“We have an extremely close partnership with Feed The Children; in fact
its director of education programs, Erin Carlstrom, serves on the Office
Depot Foundation Board of Directors,” Wong noted. “Fortunately, Erin and
all of our colleagues at Feed The Children are safe, as are its
headquarters and distribution facility, but several employees lost their
homes. We are pleased to be able to assist our friends at Feed The
Children at this extremely difficult time.”
The Office Depot Foundation is responding to the disaster in a number of
other ways:
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The Foundation is donating $5,000 to the Central
Oklahoma Humane Society to help with efforts to care for rescued
pets and reunite them with their owners.
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In light of the fact that two elementary schools in Moore were
destroyed by the tornado and numerous families with school-age
children lost their homes, the Foundation plans to donate a minimum of
3,000 children’s sackpacks containing essential school supplies to the
Moore Public School System and will host a Back-to-School Celebration
event in Oklahoma City as part of the 2013 Office Depot Foundation
National Backpack Program.
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Through the end of June, Office Depot customers in Oklahoma can assist
with the recovery efforts by making donations in the change collection
cans in Office Depot stores across the state. All funds collected will
be donated to Feed The Children.
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The Foundation will support the work of Lutheran
Church Charities’ LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Team as the Comfort Dogs and
their handlers spend time with children and families in the Moore
community.
As is always the case after disasters of this nature, the Foundation
will assist with business recovery and rebuilding efforts through its
sponsorship of the National
Disaster Help Desk for Business, which is managed by the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center. This 24-hour
hotline can be reached toll-free at 1-888-MY-BIZ-HELP (1-888-692-4943).
It provides essential information, expert guidance and connections to
invaluable resources at times when people frequently feel overwhelmed by
the impact of the disaster. The Help Desk can also be reached by e-mail
at bclchelpdesk@uschamber.com.
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 give children tools
to succeed in school and in life; build the capacity of non-profit
organizations through collaboration and innovation; and help communities
prepare for disasters, as well as recovering and rebuilding afterwards.
For more information, visit www.officedepotfoundation.org.
About Feed The Children
Founded in 1979, Feed
The Children’s mission is to provide hope and resources for those
without life’s essentials. A BBB Wise Giving Alliance accredited
charity, Feed The Children is one of the largest charities based in the
U.S., providing more than 350,000 children around the world with a hot,
nourishing meal every day. Here in the U.S., nearly 10 million people
receive assistance each year from food and supplies distributed through
over 1,200 local partner agencies. For more information, visit www.feedthechildren.org
Source: Office Depot Foundation
Office Depot Foundation
Leon Rubin, 561-251-8075
LRubin@jkggroup.com