Office Depot Supports United Negro College Fund

Through its recently announced Education and Diversity Partnership Program, Office Depot made a contribution of $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to support member institutions, scholarships, the 2006 UNCF Professional Development Institute in Atlanta and other programs. A number of Office Depot executives participated in UNCF's 62nd Anniversary Dinner held in New York. Pictured are (back, from left) Loan Ellis, Charles Johnson, Robert McCormes Ballou, Daisy Vanderlinde, Eugenia Copeland and Keith Clinkscale; and (front, from left) Michele Henderson, Stephen Sauls, Stephen Cimilluca and Brandon Choice.

Office Depot, Feed The Children Donate Supplies

Feed The Children, the international humanitarian organization, and Office Depot partnered to donate back-to-school supplies to children served by Peoples' Self-Help Housing in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties in California. Fifty pallets equaling 40,000 pounds of school supplies were delivered to Peoples' Self-Help Housing's Riverview Town Homes development in Guadalupe and distributed to Peoples' Self-Help Housing's Education Learning Centers and housing sites, particularly those with multi-family residents. The supplies included binders, notebooks, paper, pencils, art supplies, crayons and scissors.

Companies Explore Charity Best Practices

Office Depot's Department of Community Relations recently hosted a seminar designed to teach businesses how to organize giving programs for their employees. The "Building an Engaged Community at Your Workplace" Charities @ Work™ Best Practices Seminar took place on March 10-11, 2005, on Office Depot's Corporate Campus in Delray Beach, Fla. It provided companies with detailed information about on-line giving, pledge and payment processing and operating workplace giving campaigns.

"We are so pleased to host this important seminar to bring corporations together to share practices that work and learn how to maximize their giving programs," said Mary Wong, Director of Community Relations for Office Depot. According to Gwen Cooper, President and CEO, Community Health Charities of Florida, over $100 million is invested by employee donations through workplaces nationwide. During the conference, Office Depot presented contributions to four organizations affiliated with Charities @ Work: America's Charities, Community Health Charities, EarthShare and Global Impact.

Office Depot Sponsors Florida College Student of the Year Awards

Now in its 19th year, the Florida College Student of the Year Award is Florida's premier leadership scholarship program. The Award recognizes outstanding campus leaders statewide. Since 1987, this prestigious scholarship competition, founded by Florida Leader magazine, SunTrust Education Loans and Office Depot, has honored students who excel academically, support themselves financially, and volunteer in the community and on campus. The Florida College Student of the Year Award is the only statewide scholarship of its kind, and its stringent eligibility criteria have been used as a model for programs such as USA Today's All-Academic Team.

The Overall Winner in this year's program was Matthew Collier, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The First Runner-Up was Alton Austin, Florida International University. Other Finalists included Minal Ahson, University of Miami; Craig Altemose, Eckerd College; Darius Graham, Florida A&M University; Megan Hoot, University of Florida; and Marianne Howe, University of Central Florida. Honorable Mentions went to John Allen, Jr., University of North Florida; William Bludgus, University of Miami; Wilquins Charleston, Valencia Community College; Bijal Chhadva, University of South Florida; Joel Hughes, Lake-Sumter Community College; Janet Levic, Saint Leo University; John Melvin, II, University of West Florida; Dennis Ngin, University of Florida; Francisco Perez, University of Tampa; Thomas Piccolo, University of South Florida/St. Petersburg; Kelly Renfroe, North Florida Community College; Eva Rosales, University of Florida; and Nathan Wadlinger, Indian River Community College.

Volunteers Help Habitat for Humanity

On February 12, 2005, N'Dai Tawale and her three children proudly received the key to their new home in Boynton Beach, Florida. The three-bedroom house enabled N'Dai, a native of Zimbabwe, to fulfill her dream of owning a home of her own. Office Depot supported the project financially as well as through the efforts of a number of hardworking volunteers from the company's corporate headquarters in Delray Beach, Florida, as well as its stores and other facilities in South Florida. Anne Foote Collins, Director of Corporate Recruiting and Services, represented Office Depot at the dedication ceremonies. "It was extra special for me, since I know N'Dai and her children," Anne said. "She is so appreciative of all your kindness and support."

N'Dai Tawale has a lived a life full of change and upheaval. She moved from her native Zimbabwe to Miami when she was just 15, full of hope and optimism. She married and had children; but then her husband passed away and she soon had no alternative but to move back to Zimbabwe. Half a world away from South Florida, she and her children lived in a straw hut with a mud floor. It offered protection from the elements, but little else.

Fortunately, N'Dai's story doesn't end there. Through the efforts of her church, she and her children were able to return to America. She now has a good job. Her children go to school. And now, the family has a home to call their own - thanks in large measure to Office Depot and its employees who volunteered to help build it.

Gearing Up for MDA

Office Depot was proud to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Black and Blue Ball in Minneapolis. Pictured are (from left) Nick Muller, Store 657 Manager; Sue Turner, Loss Prevention District Manager for Districts 25 and 38; and Bill McElligott, Store 2114 Manager.

Caring in Kentucky

Office Depot employees at Store 2203 in Danville, Ky., showed their commitment to the community at the holidays by donating 60 bags filled with gifts to area senior citizens.

Supporting Toys for Tots

Office Depot's Boca Raton Regional Call Center conducted a successful drive for Toys for Tots. Pictured (from left) are Elizabeth Schwartz, Manager, Team Outbound; Makeda Benain; Team Outbound; and Glen Golba, Team Security, who also is on active duty with the Marine Corps Reserve in West Palm Beach.

Sharing in Saskatchewan

In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, after Office Depot Store 716 won a Company contest for the fifth year in a row, the employees chose to donate a portion of their winnings back to the community. Deciding that the worst thing that could happen at Christmas was to have a loved one in the hospital, they purchased gifts for the children in the Pediatrics Ward at the Royal University Hospital.