OfficeMax Encourages Communities to Join In Supporting Teachers with School Supplies through ‘A Day Made Better’

September 19, 2011

Fifth Anniversary of ‘A Day Made Better’ Will Surprise 1,000 Teachers Nationwide on October 4 with $1,000 in Much-Needed Classroom Supplies

Naperville, Ill. – To provide economic relief and encourage national support for teachers, OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) will donate $1 million in classroom supplies to teachers nationwide through its annual A Day Made Better teacher surprise events on Tuesday, October 4. This marks the fifth anniversary of the A Day Made Better, in which OfficeMax will surprise 1,000 teachers with $1,000 each worth of school supplies. OfficeMax, a leader in office products and services, worked with nonprofit partner, Adopt-A-Classroom, to identify recipient schools in need across the country. Principals at the schools then nominated a teacher who exemplified passion, dedication, and innovation in the classroom.

Make a Teacher’s Day Better in Your Community

New this year, communities can get involved in supporting and surprising teachers in their local schools with much-needed classroom supplies. Here’s how you can help:

• In-Store Teacher Supply Drive – Through October 1st, donate teacher supplies to A Day Made Better donation boxes at each of OfficeMax’s approximately 900 stores nationwide. Products collected through the in-store supply drive will be donated to local schools as an extra surprise on October 4th.
• Teacher Supply Gift Boxes – 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, $50 classroom box or a $100 classroom 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 each year to offset school budget shortfalls and ensure that their students have the necessary classroom resources for learning1. 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 4,500 classrooms with more than $4.5 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.