Community Investment

The ODP Corporation—including Office Depot, ODP Business Solutions, and VEYER—is focused on causes that not only align with our business, but that speak to who we are as an organization; a company that enables opportunities for people to succeed, no matter their challenges or circumstances. Specifically, our initiatives support nonprofit and community organizations through volunteer and philanthropic initiatives primarily impacting three areas of focus.

Empowering Education
Supporting early childhood education, K–12 success and college/career attainment.


Championing Entrepreneurship
Supporting organizations that foster entrepreneurial leadership and underserved small businesses.


Strengthening Communities
Supporting local communities through our commitment to volunteerism, associate engagement, disaster relief, and diversity.


A Message from Gerry

“Our community investment programs bring our associates together in a special way. Whether providing backpacks full of supplies to students, equipping teachers with technology for their classrooms, or hosting beach cleanups, we’re building a Caring Culture in our company and in our communities.” 

— Gerry Smith, Chief Executive Officer, The ODP Corporation


Start Proud!®

Start Proud!® is our signature back-to-school philanthropic initiative. Launched in 2018, the program was created to help foster brighter beginnings for schools in low-income communities nationwide and to give students and teachers the supplies they need to start the school year confident, prepared, and proud. Between 2018 and 2024, celebratory back-to-school assemblies were hosted at elementary schools in select areas. These events featured inspirational messages as well as the distribution of over 100,000 backpacks full of school supplies to students. Together with the support of our vendors, nearly $2.5M of Office Depot OfficeMax Merchandise credit was provided to teachers and parents to help them build the foundation for a successful school year.

Today, the program is dedicated to supporting teachers in K-12 public schools located in high need districts, empowering educators to create vibrant learning environments for their students while alleviating their out-of-pocket expenses.


Supporting Local Title I Schools

Beginning in the summer of 2020, Office Depot® OfficeMax® began raising funds in store and online to support local Title I schools in communities nationwide. In partnership with Round It Up America®, and thanks to the incredible generosity of our customers, we’ve raised millions to help teachers and school administrators get the supplies they need to keep school going—without reaching into their own pockets.


To learn more about exclusive offers for teachers, visit our Teacher Discounts page.