The Office Depot Foundation National Backpack Program

The Office Depot Foundation National Backpack program is back for it's 16th year.  This award winning program will donate 200,000 backpacks filled with school supplies this year, and will continue to help children who need it.  They sent us some of their colorful backpacks for review.  No other compensation was provided.  And as always all opinions are a 100% my own.  By the end of 2016 it will have helped more than 4 million children since it began in 2001.

As mentioned above, the National Backpack Program will be donating 200,000 colorful new sackpacks to nonprofit organizations, schools and agencies across the United States and internationally.

The drawstring sackpacks are specially designed and come in seven bright and colorful designs – several of which are new for 2016.  Aren't the prints just great?  

Each one includes a zippered pouch containing a pen, pencil, pencil sharpener, eraser, six-inch ruler and four crayons.  I was pleasantly surprised at how durable and quality they are.  As you can see, the designs are so nice and won't make a child feel like its a donated item, nor will it stand out in that way.  It's also very nice that the sackpacks do not have any Office Depot Foundation or Office Depot logos or markings.   It's exciting to see a foundation like this, making a difference in child by providing something simple and essential for their academic year.

“We believe that every child should have the opportunity to go to school with dignity and hope,” says Office Depot Foundation President Mary Wong.  “For most children, the first day of school is an exciting time complete with new clothes and back-to-school gear.  But for kids in families where money is tight, the experience can be just the opposite.  The sackpacks and school supplies we donate help to level the playing field and give these wonderful children a reason to stand just a little bit taller.”

To deliver sackpacks directly to children, the Foundation is hosting Back-to-School Celebrations in select cities across the U.S. in July and August.

They are giving thousands of more sackpacks to kids through the Office Depot Foundation’s continuing partnerships with a number of nonprofit organizations serving children nationally and globally. The Foundation is collaborating with the AARP Experience Corps, the National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association, Feed the Children, Food For The Poor, the Kids In Need Foundation, the National Foundation for Women Legislators, Operation Homefront and Samaritan’s Feet International. For the eighth consecutive year, children of the Navajo Nation in Arizona will receive backpacks.

For more information about the National Backpack Program check out the Office Depot Foundation’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/officedepotfoundation. 
To learn more about the Office Depot Foundation and its initiatives, go to www.officedepotfoundation.org/. 
You can follow the Foundation on Twitter @OfficeDepotFndn; the National Backpack Program’s hashtag is #ODFcares.  
The Foundation is also on Instagram: @officedepotfoundation.