Palm Beach County Students Receive 20,000 Backpacks from Office Depot
The Office Depot Foundation recently donated 20,000 colorful new sackpacks to deserving children served by non-profit organizations, schools and agencies in Palm Beach County. They contained essential school supplies, during a special “Back-to- School Celebration” that took place at different Office Depot stores located throughout the county.
Special guests included West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio; West Palm Beach Commissioner Sylvia Moffett; Fred Pinto, Administrative Assistant, representing Palm Beach County Commissioner Jess. R Santamaria; Dan Liftman, Staff Assistant, representing U.S. Congressman Alcee L. Hastings; and State Representative Joseph Abruzzo.
Through the award-winning National Backpack Program, which is now in its 12th year, the Office Depot Foundation plans to help children prepare for school by donating 400,000 sackpacks across the United States and internationally – the most ever in a single year. The sturdy, specially designed sackpacks come in seven different color combinations with kid-friendly graphics.
By the end of 2012, Office Depot and the Office Depot Foundation will have helped more than 2.9 million children since the inception of the program in 2001.
Office Depot Foundation Representatives and Employee along with Jimmy Peterkin, Debi Elfen and Nat Harrington
Office Depot Foundation Representatives and Employees along with Debi Elfen and Vickie Middlebrooks.
Nat Harrington, CPIO, on behalf of the School District of Palm Beach County
For information on the Foundation and its initiatives, go to www.officedepotfoundation.org/. More information about the National Backpack Program can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/officedepotfoundation. You can also follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/officedepotfndn. The National Backpack Program’s hashtag is #OfficeDepotFndnKids.
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 help children succeed in school and in life; enable civil society (non-profit) organizations to become more efficient and effective; help people and businesses prepare for disasters, then recover and rebuild afterwards; strengthen local communities through grants, product donations and volunteerism; and encourage community development through entrepreneurship and economic innovation. For more information, visit www.officedepotfoundation.org.
For more information contact Jimmy Lee Peterkin, Business Partnership Coordinator, at (561) 434- 7323 or via email at jimmy.peterkin@palmbeachschools.org.
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Public Affairs Contact: Natalia Arenas – (561) 357-7662 – natalia.arenas@palmbeachschools.org
