Office Depot Cuts Ties With Eponymous Foundation

Office Depot in Boca Raton, Florida, has announced that it is no longer associated with the philanthropy formerly known as the Office Depot Foundation and is planning to launch a new company-sponsored foundation in the coming months, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

The Office Depot Foundation was launched by the company more than twenty years ago to support emergency disaster relief efforts in affected communities and later became known for giving thousands of backpacks stocked with school supplies to children in need and running community events such as a women's leadership symposium and the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce's Diamond awards, which honor women who have achieved success in their fields.

Following the decision of Office Depot CEO Gerry Smith, who took over at the office supply retailer last February, the foundation has changed its name to the Listen Learn Care Foundation and announced that is no longer receiving financial support from the company. Mary Wong, president of the foundation for more than a decade and previously an Office Depot executive, will continue as president and CEO of the newly named foundation.

"Our new CEO, Gerry Smith, is fully committed to serving the communities in which we live and do business in through philanthropic giving and robust employee voluntarism," said Office Depot director of communications Danny Jovic, "and we will be launching a new foundation managed by our internal staff in the coming months."