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Office Depot Expands Its Charitable National Backpack Program and Invites Non-Profit Organizations and Schools to Submit Requests Online

In-Kind Program Will Place Backpacks and School Supplies in the Hands of 300,000 Children this Year DELRAY BEACH, Fla., May 16, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, announced today that the Company has expanded its signature National Backpack Program and will put 300,000 backpacks filled with school supplies in the hands of needy children this summer. Also, due to the enormous popularity and expansion of the program, Office Depot will reach out to the community at large - specifically non-profit organizations that help kids and "at-risk" schools - by offering the opportunity to submit requests for backpacks through its Community Relations Website. Now through June 17, 2005, qualified 501(c)(3) organizations as well as "at-risk" Title I schools with 501(c)(3) status may submit requests by visiting: http://www.community.officedepot.com/backpack.asp. Requests will only be considered from organizations or schools with a valid Tax ID Number. The submission of a request does not guarantee an organization will receive backpacks, but all qualified organizations that submit a request will be notified no later than July 15 on the status of their submission. "One of the most important objectives of our charitable giving program is to create a brighter future for children in disadvantaged communities," said Frank Scruggs, Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Office Depot. "We are truly committed to making a positive impact upon the communities in which our customers do business." In 2001, Office Depot began its National Backpack Program and donated 80,000 backpacks. Since then, the program has grown to 300,000 backpacks containing school supplies which are donated annually to children across the country. According to Mary Wong, Director of Community Relations for Office Depot, the primary goal of the National Backpack Program is to ease the burden placed on parents and teachers who cannot afford to provide children or students with the basic school supplies needed to start the school year. Wong noted that since its inception (and including this year's program), Office Depot will have placed more than 880,000 backpacks in the hands of children from small rural communities to large inner city communities. "All of the company's retail stores are provided with backpacks so that store managers can reach out in their own communities," Wong said. In 2004, Office Depot was honored with the prestigious United States Chamber of Commerce Center for Corporate Citizenship's Corporate Stewardship Award for Large Businesses due in part to the Backpack Program. The award recognizes businesses and chambers that have demonstrated ethical leadership and corporate stewardship. Office Depot was also recently listed on the 2005 Companies That Care Honor Roll by the Center for Companies That Care. This honor is given to companies that show a deep commitment to their employees' quality of life as well as the communities in which they operate. Office Depot was honored with this distinction last year as well. Please visit http://www.community.officedepot.com for more information on Office Depot's philanthropic activities. About Office Depot With annual sales approaching $14 billion, Office Depot provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company. Incorporated in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, Office Depot conducts business in 23 countries and employs 47,000 people worldwide. The Company operates under the Office Depot(R), Viking Office Products(R), Viking Direct(R), Guilbert(R), and Tech Depot(R) brand names. Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel - from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. With $3.1 billion in online sales in FY'04, the Company is the world's number three Internet retailer. As of March 26, 2005, Office Depot has 995 retail stores in North America in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 22 delivery centers and more than 60 local sales offices. Internationally, the Company conducts wholly-owned operations in 14 countries through 77 retail stores and 26 distribution centers, and operates 153 retail stores under joint venture and license arrangements in another seven countries. The company's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com. MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=4885785 SOURCE: Office Depot Office Depot, Delray Beach Mindy Kramer, 561-438-4276 mkramer@officedepot.com or JKG Group Lauren Garvey, 561-989-9931, ext. 101 lauren@jkggroup.com