Nick Cannon, Office Depot make a difference in L.A.

For the third consecutive year, Office Depot has enlisted the aid of actor, comedian and America’s Got Talent host Nick Cannon to help execute an innovate back-to-school program.



The Office Depot Foundation is donating 5,000 colorful new sackpacks containing essential school supplies to nonprofit organizations, schools and agencies in the Los Angeles area. The foundation — the independent charitable giving arm of Office Depot — will make the donations during a special back-to-school celebration beginning at 10 a.m., Friday, July 25, at the Office Depot store located at 401 E. 2nd St. in Los Angeles. And Cannon will personally give sackpacks to the children who attend.



Cannon also will participate in the Office Depot Foundation's sackpack donation events in Fort Lauderdale, San Diego and New York City this summer.



In 2014, the foundation will donate 350,000 sackpacks to children in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and a number of other countries through its National Backpack Program, which is now in its 14th year. During the past seven years alone, the award-winning initiative has helped more than 47,000 Los Angeles-area kids.



By the end of this year, Office Depot and the Office Depot Foundation will have given away more than 3.3 million backpacks and sackpacks since the National Backpack Program began in 2001.



"Each and every year, the smiles on the faces of the children who receive our sackpacks and school supplies warm our hearts," says Office Depot Foundation president Mary Wong. "We are so proud to know that we will have made a difference to 3.3 million kids — and grateful to Office Depot and our many supporters for giving us the opportunity to continue this program for its 14th year."



The specially designed sackpacks come in seven bright and colorful designs that are new for 2014. 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.