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Office Depot Announces Newest Contributions To Hurricane Katrina Relief

Company's Total Cash and In-Kind Donations Top $18 Million DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Sept 07, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, today announced that its cash and in-kind donations to support Hurricane Katrina relief have topped $18 million. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050801/FLM019LOGO ) In outlining its contributions, Office Depot noted that it: * Was among the first global companies to make a significant monetary contribution when it pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross on August 28, prior to the storm hitting New Orleans and the Mississippi Valley Delta * Has offered city officials in New Orleans the entire contents of five stores (worth an estimated $4 million) to help get the city up and running * Is providing $13 million in water, batteries, office and school supplies through the Company's partnership with Feed the Children * Is distributing 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to help area children go back to school * Is matching all employee contributions on a dollar-for-dollar basis through the Office Depot Disaster Relief Foundation * Is accepting donations of $1, $5 and $10 at the Company's stores nationwide with all contributions going to the American Red Cross to help with shelters, food and water distribution, counseling and other vital forms of assistance * Is working with FEMA, local Chambers of Commerce and other organizations to assist local businesses in restoring their operations * Has established "One-Stop Disaster Relief Sites" at seven stores in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas to provide associates with supplies, information, counseling and other services to aid in the recovery * Is working closely with the Business Roundtable to activate the Partnership for Disaster Relief, resulting in 89 corporate donations worth $102 million in cash and in-kind. "Hurricane Katrina is the American Tsunami," noted Steve Odland, Chairman and CEO of Office Depot. "We continue to encourage other companies to join us in this massive relief effort -- not only to help our fellow citizens, customers and associates who are suffering, but to ensure that our economy can withstand the tremendous impact this storm will have on American business." 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 June 25, 2005, Office Depot has 1,011 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 76 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. SOURCE Office Depot Brian Levine, Public Relations, Office Depot, +1-561-438-2895, or blevine@officedepot.com