Feel Good Friday: 16 Years of the Office Depot Foundation National Backpack Program!

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The Office Depot Foundation (the independent charitable giving arm of Office Depot) is marking the 16th Year of its National Backpack Program. This year, approximately 200,000 colorful, kid-friendly sack packs will be donated to non-profit organizations, schools, and agencies across the United States and internationally.

The Foundation started in 2001 with the belief "that every child should have the opportunity to go to school with dignity and hope". The Office Depot Foundation has been working to provide that opportunity to deserving students, by donating sack packs that contain essential school supplies.

Office Depot Sackpacks

The Sackpacks are designed with kids in mind. They come in seven different color combinations with kid-friendly graphics. The Office Depot logo is only visible on a removable paper tag, to help ensure that any child can proudly carry their sackpack, without risk of being stigmatized. Each drawstring-style sackpack includes a zippered pouch with a pen, pencil, sharpener, eraser, six-inch ruler, and 4 crayons.

To deliver sackpacks directly to children, The Office Depot Foundation has been hosting Back to School Celebrations in select cities in the U.S. during the months of July and August. Thousands more will be given to kids through the Foundation's partnerships with a number of nonprofit organizations, serving children nationally and globally. The foundation is collaborating with AARP Experience Corps, the National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association, Feed the Children, Food for the Poor, the Kids in Need Foundation, the National Foundation for Women Legislators, Operation Homefront, and Samaritan's Feet International. For the 8th consecutive year, children of the Navajo Nation in Arizona will be receiving sackpacks.

For more information about the National Backpack Program, you can visit the Office Depot Foundation's Facebook Page. To learn more about the Office Depot Foundation and its initiatives, please visit the Office Depot Foundation's website. You can also follow the Foundation on Twitter (the National Backpack Program's hashtag is #ODFCares) and on Instagram.