OfficeMax and Store Customers Donate $1.7 Million in School Supplies Through 'A Day Made Better'

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- OfficeMax® Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) and its retail customers together donated more than $1.7 million today in classroom supplies to teachers nationwide through OfficeMax's annual A Day Made Better classroom surprise events, which help provide economic relief and encourage national support for teachers.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111004/CG80555)

Today marks the fifth year of the A Day Made Better program, in which OfficeMax associates surprise 1,000 teachers in their classrooms with $1,000 each worth of school supplies – $1 million in sum.

New this year was an in-store school supply drive, in which customers contributed more than an additional $700,000 in back-to-school supplies across OfficeMax's approximately 900 stores nationwide. Classroom supplies collected through the in-store supply drive were donated today to schools in each community where OfficeMax has stores.

"We are excited to support teachers with much-needed school supplies, and we couldn't be more proud to work with our customers this year to grow this support even further," said Carolynn Brooks, OfficeMax Chief Diversity Officer.  "Education is an important cause for OfficeMax because, as a leading office products supplier, we interact with the education community on a daily basis. When we work together to provide tools to help improve education, we can help improve entire communities."

OfficeMax, a leader in office products and services, worked with nonprofit partner, Adopt-A-Classroom, to identify recipient schools in need nationwide, including Alaska, Puerto Rico Hawaii and the Virgin Islands.

The list of the schools selected to receive the A Day Made Better surprise is available at adaymadebetter.com/newsroom.

Help Make a Teacher's Day Better

The annual event may be over, but you can still surprise a deserving teacher in your community by donating your own A Day Made Better box filled with classroom supplies. Visit adoptaclassroom.org/better and chose from three box sizes, including a $25 starter kit, a $50 classroom supplies box or a $100 classroom supplies box.  Each branded A Day Made Better gift box comes with a variety of school supplies, an A Day Made Better t-shirt and instructions for selecting and conducting your own surprise event.

About A Day Made Better

Teachers spend approximately $1,000 out of their own pockets on school supplies each year to offset school budget shortfalls and ensure their students have the necessary classroom resources for learning(1). OfficeMax's A Day Made Better program, in partnership with Adopt-A-Classroom, aims to help end the need for teacher-funded classrooms.

Since 2007, OfficeMax's A Day Made Better and its nonprofit partner Adopt-A-Classroom have funded more than 5,500 classrooms with more than $5.5 million in school supplies, and helped secure funding for more than 66,000 classrooms through donations to Adopt-A-Classroom.

For more information about A Day Made Better, visit adaymadebetter.com. To learn more about adopting a classroom, visit adoptaclassroom.org.  

About OfficeMax

OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) is a leader in both business-to-business office products solutions and retail office products.  The OfficeMax mission is simple.  We help our customers do their best work.  The company provides office supplies and paper, in-store print and document services through OfficeMax ImPress®, technology products and solutions, and furniture to businesses and individual consumers.  OfficeMax customers are served by approximately 30,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and nearly 1,000 stores.  Since 2007, OfficeMax Goodworks programs have served communities and schools, contributing more than $14 million in grants and supplies to support teachers and classrooms. To find the nearest OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX.  For more information, visit www.officemax.com.

About Adopt-A-Classroom

Adopt-A-Classroom is a national, award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting classroom teachers and ensuring all children have equal access to a quality education.  Since 1998, the organization has raised over $16 million on behalf of classrooms across America.  Donors form meaningful partnerships with classroom teachers and students.  Teachers benefit from the ability to purchase resources that create a more engaging learning environment, and students benefit from the knowledge that someone in the community cares about their success. To support a classroom, visit www.adoptaclassroom.org.

All trademarks, service marks and trade names of OfficeMax Incorporated used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of OfficeMax Incorporated. Any other product or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

(1) 2005 National Education Association survey. Confirmed by an OfficeMax survey of teachers in June 2009.

SOURCE OfficeMax Incorporated

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