Office Depot Foundation Supports Short- and Long-Term Relief and Recovery Efforts Following Oklahoma Tornadoes
May 23 2013 - 1:07PM
Business Wire
The Office Depot Foundation is supporting relief and recovery
efforts following the devastating EF-5 tornado in Oklahoma with
immediate contributions to local non-profit organizations and plans
to continue to assist in the weeks and months ahead.
“This tragedy has touched us on a very personal level,” said
Mary Wong, President of the independent, non-profit Office Depot
Foundation, which serves as the primary charitable giving arm of
Office Depot (NYSE:ODP). “Office Depot has half a dozen stores in
the Oklahoma City area, including one in Moore that was narrowly
missed by the tornado. We are grateful that the store was not
damaged, but a tragedy of this magnitude clearly has an impact on
our associates and our customers throughout the region.”
The Office Depot Foundation has a longstanding relationship with
Feed The Children – the Oklahoma City-based international relief
organization – and has partnered with it to help people affected by
Hurricane Sandy, the 2011 tornadoes in Tuscaloosa and Joplin, and
other natural disasters. To assist the residents of the hard-hit
areas, the Foundation is donating $20,000 to Feed The Children to
deploy food and essential relief supplies in Moore and other areas
of Oklahoma and northern Texas.
“We have an extremely close partnership with Feed The Children;
in fact its director of education programs, Erin Carlstrom, serves
on the Office Depot Foundation Board of Directors,” Wong noted.
“Fortunately, Erin and all of our colleagues at Feed The Children
are safe, as are its headquarters and distribution facility, but
several employees lost their homes. We are pleased to be able to
assist our friends at Feed The Children at this extremely difficult
time.”
The Office Depot Foundation is responding to the disaster in a
number of other ways:
- The Foundation is donating $5,000 to
the Central Oklahoma Humane Society to help with efforts to care
for rescued pets and reunite them with their owners.
- In light of the fact that two
elementary schools in Moore were destroyed by the tornado and
numerous families with school-age children lost their homes, the
Foundation plans to donate a minimum of 3,000 children’s sackpacks
containing essential school supplies to the Moore Public School
System and will host a Back-to-School Celebration event in Oklahoma
City as part of the 2013 Office Depot Foundation National Backpack
Program.
- Through the end of June, Office Depot
customers in Oklahoma can assist with the recovery efforts by
making donations in the change collection cans in Office Depot
stores across the state. All funds collected will be donated to
Feed The Children.
- The Foundation will support the work of
Lutheran Church Charities’ LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Team as the Comfort
Dogs and their handlers spend time with children and families in
the Moore community.
As is always the case after disasters of this nature, the
Foundation will assist with business recovery and rebuilding
efforts through its sponsorship of the National Disaster Help Desk
for Business, which is managed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Business Civic Leadership Center. This 24-hour hotline can be
reached toll-free at 1-888-MY-BIZ-HELP (1-888-692-4943). It
provides essential information, expert guidance and connections to
invaluable resources at times when people frequently feel
overwhelmed by the impact of the disaster. The Help Desk can also
be reached by e-mail at bclchelpdesk@uschamber.com.
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 give children tools to succeed in school and in life;
build the capacity of non-profit organizations through
collaboration and innovation; and help communities prepare for
disasters, as well as recovering and rebuilding afterwards. For
more information, visit www.officedepotfoundation.org.
About Feed The Children
Founded in 1979, Feed The Children’s mission is to provide hope
and resources for those without life’s essentials. A BBB Wise
Giving Alliance accredited charity, Feed The Children is one of the
largest charities based in the U.S., providing more than 350,000
children around the world with a hot, nourishing meal every day.
Here in the U.S., nearly 10 million people receive assistance each
year from food and supplies distributed through over 1,200 local
partner agencies. For more information, visit
www.feedthechildren.org
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