Office Depot Foundation National Backpack Program Donates 200,000 Sackpacks & School Supplies

For the past 16 years, the Office Depot Foundation has been giving children important tools they need to succeed in school – and in life - at the beginning of the new school year. 

This year is no exception.  In 2016, the Foundation - the independent charitable giving arm of Office Depot^® (NASDAQ:ODP) - is celebrating the 16^th year of its award-winning National Backpack Program by donating 200,000 colorful new sackpacks to nonprofit organizations, schools and agencies across the United States and internationally. 

By the end of 2016, Office Depot and the Office Depot Foundation will have given away more than 4 million backpacks and sackpacks since the National Backpack Program began in 2001. 

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. 

Thousands more sackpacks are being given 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 sackpacks.

The specially designed, drawstring-style sackpacks come in seven bright and colorful designs – several of which are new for 2016.  Each one includes a zippered pouch containing a pen, pencil, pencil sharpener, eraser, six-inch ruler and four crayons. The sackpacks do not have any Office Depot Foundation or Office Depot logos or markings.

More information about the National Backpack Program can be found on the Office Depot Foundation’s Facebook page atwww.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.

My Thoughts 

Office Depot is making a difference all over the world this back to school season. They are making sure no child goes without by offering up some nifty sack-packs and school supplies to go along with them. The bags come in a variety of cool deigns flowers, blocks, and camo. They are sturdy bags that will work great for carrying books but will also come in handy for lunging clothes to gym class or for extra curricular activities. 

Inside each bag is another fun surprise. Each sackpacks includes some much needed school supplies including a pen, pencil, crayons, a pencil sharpener and even a ruler. All these items are packed inside a clear zippered pencil case. 

My children were really impressed with the quality of these items but we are even more impressed by the generosity of the Office Depot. In these difficult economic times it's not always easy for parents to stay ahead of the game. There are so many expenses this time of year, its nice to know someone is looking out for the kids to make sure they have the tools they need to further their education.

Head Back to School in Style with Northwest

My son loves the Yankees, and he has almost every collectible under the sun. Luckily, at Northwest,  I found something really unique. Their awesome sports lunchboxes boxes and backpacks are sure to spruce up your back to school wardrobe and please any sports fan. We picked out a lunch cooler, and my son loves the cool Yankees emblem on it. As a green mom, I love the idea of having a reusable container for my kids' lunches because it creates less waste.

The container zips shut, keeping the food secure even when it gets jostled around inside the box. The airtight and insulated container also keeps bread fresher than plastic or paper bags. They are compact enough to fit inside of schoolbags and since they come in a variety of styles, all your sports fans will be happy.  I love that you can fit both a sandwich and other snacks or fruit all in one convenient package. When we're done with it, it's also easy to clean. Just wipe it down with warm soapy water and let it dry. I know this handy  Northwest lunch bag will be a staple for us during the upcoming school year.

 If you have a Yankees fan in your household, be sure to check it out. Of course, this is only a fone example of the beautiful designs available at the Northwest. They also have lots of other awesome styles that are perfect for the back to school season including superheroes and television characters. Here are a few more styles we love. 

To see all the Nothwest has to offer, be sure to visit their website or follow them on their social media.

Connect with The Northwest

             

Stylish Backpacks for Spring

This time of year, it seems like all my kids backpacks start to fall apart. With only a few months left in the school year, I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I can't put it off to the fall. Luckily, you always find affordable back packs on Amazon.  Here are two of my favorites.

• SymbolLife Casual Lightweight School Backpack with Cross-body Bag and Purse/Pen Bag, enough for carrying all your necessaries around you. With embroidery design in front side, but the embroidery design may have slight difference with each bag.
• Material: High Quality and Durable Canvas + Smooth Metal Zipper + Polyester Lining Size: Large Backpack: 12.4*18.9*6.1in (L*H*W); Shoulder Bag: 8.27*9.84*3.15 in (L*H*W); Purse/ Pen Bag: 7* 4.5 in (L*W)
• High volume backpack can accommodate a 14 inch laptop computer, wallets, books, magazines, iPad, iPhone, ect. The side pockets can put a water bottle and umbrella.
• Style & Design: Fashionable and simple design with fresh colors makes every day different and lively. This sturdy canvas backpack has padded straps for comfort, padded cushion protection for laptop or tablet and padded cushion to protect your back when you carry something heavy.
• Function: It is a great backpack for casual life. You can take it to school, college, shopping, cycling, traveling, dating, etc..

• 1. Color: Army Green/ Coffee/ Khaki; Notes: Pls allow little color difference bettwen product and pictures due to different camera or light environment.
• 2. Material: Cotton Washed Canvas backpack, genuine leather deco, Eco-friendly casual life style;
• 3. Size: 13.7"(L)*5.7"(W)*19.6"(H); Weight: 1.7pounds;
• 4. One-shoulder strap design, the bag can wear as a single-shoulder bag/sling backpack, or a cross-body pack; Fits for men & women;
• 5. Side pockets and Padded and adjustable shoulder straps;

HipFits - Backpack hangers #giveaway

HipFits is this year's must-have for fashion fun! It’s the new clip-on accessory that gives girls the chance to get in on the hottest trend in accessorizing (charms and trinkets to personalize your purse) making headlines on the pages of People

StyleWatch, Vogue and more. (Check us out on Instagram - @hipfitshangers - to see some of our fans including Maddie & Mackenzie Ziegler from Dance Moms, Addison Riecke from The Thundermans, Francesca Capaldi from Disney’s Dog with a Blog, and Analise Scarpaci and Mia Sinclair Jenness from Matilda the Musical).

Now girls can collect their favorite fashions and show them off to match their moods - all with a little charm from HipFits: the first fashion collectible that offers a fun new way to accessorize your accessories! HipFits are soft, fabric-covered, gel pad-filled, dress-shaped charms featuring popular looks to reflect each individual’s own fashion identity.

HipFits are mini four-inch dresses, tethered to a colorful heart shaped clips that make them easy to attach to backpacks, hand bags, keychains, gym bags, strollers and more. Delivered in an elegant frame-like open box, HipFits make great desk accessories, too.

Each tastefully designed dress comes complete with a short poem that gives a personality to each HipFit and helps to make the connection to girls’ hearts. Girls can collect them, trade them and gift them to make the match that best tells their own story, day by day.

The collection currently features 21 different styles covering classic, playful and current fashions. Girls can choose prints ranging from preppy and wild animal, sporty and smart, colorful and crafty and more and more to come. At just $9.99 each and small enough to pack along, there’s no limit to HipFits’ collectibility. Great stocking stuffers, too.

Connect with HipFits

Website - Facebook - Twitter

My Thoughts

These are super cute. My daughter loves to hang things from her back pack and I knew these would make a great addition. They are unique and fun. With a ton of different type of dresses to choose from. Some with names like Artsy, Rainbow Dress, to name a few.

I got to check out the Wildcat

And Harmony

Both were well made and soft to touch. They aren't squishy like a stuffed animal. More of a firm yet soft material. They were easy to clip on. My 8 year old was able to get them on her backpack without my assistance.

The colors were bright and eye catching. A great accessory to any girls backpack. These will be on our list to watch for more.

Giveaway

One lucky winner is going to receive a set of 4 HipFits dress hangers! To enter, just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below. Open to the US only. Giveaway will end 9/26/2015. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to reply. Thanks again to HipFits for offering this fantastic prize.

Entry-Form