NAPERVILLE, Ill., Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Teachers continue to pay the price for tighter school budgets - literally. Faced with a lack of necessary classroom supplies, teachers across the country pay for these supplies with their own money. This October 6, OfficeMax Incorporated , a leader in office products and services, will again join with Adopt-A-Classroom to surprise and honor teachers across the country for the annual 'A Day Made Better'(R) event in an effort to raise awareness about the widespread problem of teacher-funded classrooms. This year's 'A Day Made Better' cause event will be hosted on October 6, 2009 when OfficeMax associates will visit approximately 1,000 public schools to surprise about 1,000 teachers each with a gift of classroom supplies worth approximately $1,000.

This year, OfficeMax surveyed 700 elementary teachers who are members of OfficeMax's MaxPerks(R) for Teachers program across the country to gain perspective on how the economic downturn has impacted schools, classrooms and teachers. Key findings from the survey include:

    --  Ninety-seven percent (97%) of teachers surveyed said their school was
        impacted by budget cuts
    --  Eighty-six percent (86%) of teachers said budget cuts affected their
        ability to secure necessary classroom supplies.
    --  More than fifty percent (50%) reported a significant increase in layoffs
        and reduction of learning resources for students due to insufficient
        school funding.
    --  Sixty  percent (60%) of teachers surveyed feel less motivated following
        budget cuts
    --  Ninety-two percent (92%) of teachers do not foresee an end to
        out-of-pocket spending on supplies for their classrooms.

"Teachers play such an important role supporting, inspiring and educating our country's future generation, and it's unfair that teachers should have to bear the costs of also supplying their classrooms with everyday supplies," said Ryan Vero, EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer for OfficeMax. "Through 'A Day Made Better,' we're creating a movement to end teacher-funded classrooms."

In preparation for the nationwide cause event on October 6, OfficeMax is working with partner Adopt-A-Classroom, a not-for-profit organization supporting teachers in the classroom, to identify Title I public schools across the country where classroom needs are great with a significant number of students from low-income families. Principals at selected schools will have the opportunity to nominate one extraordinary teacher, who demonstrates exceptional dedication and innovation in teaching, to be honored during 'A Day Made Better' 2009.

"School budget cuts are of great concern to teachers across the country who worry about being able to support their classrooms with the supplies and learning resources needed for the 2009/10 school year," said Jamie Rosenberg, founder and executive director of Adopt-A-Classroom. "I'm proud to continue with OfficeMax in their efforts to support teachers and hope this year's event will serve as a wake-up call to the public to get involved and help teachers make ends meet in the classroom. Teachers need our help now more than ever."

OfficeMax first launched 'A Day Made Better' in October 2007 and has since conducted more than 2,000 classroom surprises across the country. As a result, the annual cause event has secured national media headlines, calling attention to the problem of teacher-funded classrooms, emphasizing community action, and increasing public support for teachers through donations to Adopt-A-Classroom.

Please click the link A Day Made Better to see past teacher recipients and to view video monologues of what the award has meant to teachers. Or to show your support for ending teacher-funded classrooms, go to our dedicated Facebook page.

About OfficeMax

OfficeMax Incorporated 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(R), technology products and solutions, and furniture to consumers and to large, medium and small businesses. OfficeMax customers are served by more than 30,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and more than 1,000 stores. To find the nearest OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX. For more information, visit http://www.officemax.com/.

OfficeMax Media Contacts: OfficeMax Investor Relations Contact William Bonner Jennifer Rook Mike Steele 630-864-6066 630-864-6057 630.864.6826

SOURCE OfficeMax