OMX Officemax Incorporated

Under-Resourced Teachers Pay $4 Billion Of Their Own Money Each Year For Classroom Supplies NAPERVILLE, Ill., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Teachers across America spend an average $1,200 of their own money each year for classroom supplies, amounting to a $4 billion out-of-pocket annual expense. OfficeMax(R) Incorporated (NYSE:OMX), a leader in office products and services, is seeking to raise awareness of this plight and drive community-based action to bring more resources to teachers. OfficeMax is conducting a nationwide fund raising program through in-store donations to benefit Adopt-A-Classroom, a unique not-for-profit organization that brings support direct to teachers. "A single teacher can impact more than 3,000 lives over the course of a career, fueling literally every profession in our society," said Ryan Vero, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer for OfficeMax. "That teachers are left to spend their own money on classroom supplies is just wrong. OfficeMax is taking a stand in support of teachers, and all that they stand for, and leading a community-based effort to bring teachers the resources they need for a supportive learning environment." According to Adopt-A-Classroom, the nation will need 2.2 to 2.4 million more new teachers by 2010. However, fifty percent of teachers leave the profession within the first five years. Among the top reasons for leaving the profession is lack of support. "Sometimes the simplest ideas can have the greatest impact," says James Rosenberg, Founder and Executive Director of Adopt-A-Classroom. "If each one of us were to go to one teacher in our community with even nominal support, the cumulative effect would be astounding. The fund raising effort we are conducting with OfficeMax is based on this simple, logical premise and has the real potential to create significant change for our teachers." Special limited edition photo frame magnets with teacher and education messages, perfect for teachers, parents or grandparents, are offered as free gifts to anyone making a donation of $2.00 or more at any OfficeMax retail store. The fund raising campaign will run through October 8, 2007. In addition to the teacher fund raising campaign, OfficeMax has offered numerous teacher-support programs such as the MaxPerks for Teachers loyalty reward program, special annual Educator Appreciation events at retail stores and a MaxPerks recycling program for teacher and school-based fund-raising efforts. About OfficeMax(R) Incorporated OfficeMax Incorporated is a leader in both business-to-business and retail office products distribution. The OfficeMax mission is simple: to help our customers do their best work. The company provides office supplies, print and document services through OfficeMax Impress(TM), technology products and solutions, and furniture to large, medium and small businesses and consumers. OfficeMax customers are served by approximately 35,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and nearly 900 stores. For more information, visit: http://www.officemax.com/. OfficeMax Media Contacts OfficeMax Investor Contact Bill Bonner Jennifer Rook John Jennings 630 864 6066 630 864 6057 630 864 6820 DATASOURCE: OfficeMax Incorporated CONTACT: Media, Bill Bonner, +1-630-864-6066, or Jennifer Rook, +1-630-864-6057, or Investors, John Jennings, +1-630-864-6820, all of OfficeMax Incorporated Web site: http://www.officemax.com/

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