More Than 780 Teachers and 98,000 Students Impacted by Donation to DonorsChoose.org

Staples (NASDAQ: SPLS) and global superstar Katy Perry teamed up and helped hundreds of teachers bring learning to life through the 2016 Staples for Students program, which fulfilled $1 million in classroom projects through the non-profit organization DonorsChoose.org.

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Global superstar Katy Perry attends the Staples for Students Winners VIP Celebration on Thurs., Oct. 13, 2016, in Los Angeles. One grand prize winner received a $50,000 scholarship, as well as a trip to Los Angeles with a guest to meet Perry plus four first place winners also won the trip. In April, as part of the Staples for Students program, Staples partnered with Perry to announce a $1 million donation to DonorsChoose.org. As a result, Staples fulfilled 1,072 classroom projects on DonorsChoose.org, providing 787 teachers in 402 schools with their classroom needs, and impacting 98,609 students across the country. Additionally, Staples customers donated more than $330,000 to DonorsChoose.org at Staples stores and at www.StaplesForStudents.com throughout the back-to-school season. (Casey Rodgers/AP Images for Staples)

In April, Staples announced a $1 million donation to DonorsChoose.org, a charity that has funded more than 800,000 classroom projects for teachers and has positively affected more than 20 million students across the country. As a result, Staples fulfilled 1,072 classroom projects across the country, providing 787 teachers in 402 schools with their classroom needs, and impacting 98,609 students.

Additionally, Staples customers nationwide donated more than $330,000 to DonorsChoose.org at Staples stores and www.StaplesForStudents.com in the lead-up to back-to-school season.

“We’re grateful to our customers and thank them for donating to the Staples for Students campaign, which helps teachers and classrooms across the country through DonorsChoose.org,” said Frank P. Bifulco, Jr., executive vice president global marketing, Staples. “It was a pleasure to once again team up with Katy Perry to raise awareness around this important cause and to help teachers bring learning to life for students.”

The program was driven by a statistic from the Education Market Association that an estimated 99.5 percent of all public school teachers use their own money to equip their classrooms, frequently at a cost of more than $400 per year.

“Teaming up with Staples in 2014 taught me firsthand how important it is to support our nation’s teachers, and how often they are forced to dig into their own pockets to provide even the most basic school supplies for their students,” said Katy Perry. “It was an honor to be able to work with Staples and DonorsChoose.org again this year, and I am delighted that our efforts have helped pave the way for students to realize their dreams.”

“We’re so grateful for Staples' continued partnership in helping teachers and students to succeed, as well as for the support of its loyal customers and Katy Perry,” said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org. “This year marks the third time that we’ve worked with Staples to help teachers make more happen, and we’ve again heard directly from teachers that Staples and DonorsChoose.org have made a lasting impact on their classrooms."

$50,000 Scholarship Winner

Katy Perry presented the grand prize winner of the Staples for Students Sweepstakes, Patricia O’Keefe and her son Matthew, Deep River, Conn., with a $50,000 scholarship at a Winners VIP Celebration in Los Angeles on October 13th. Matthew is a senior in high school and is currently applying to colleges for enrollment in fall 2017. Four lucky first prize winners and one guest each also joined the celebration and met Katy Perry.

About Staples, Inc.Staples retail stores and Staples.com help small business customers make more happen by providing a broad assortment of products, expanded business services and easy ways to shop, all backed with a lowest price guarantee. Staples offers businesses the convenience to shop and buy how and when they want – in store, online, via mobile or though social apps. Staples.com customers can either buy online and pick-up in store or ship for free from Staples.com with Staples Rewards minimum purchase. Expanded services also make it easy for businesses to succeed with in-store Business Centers featuring shipping services and products, copying, scanning, faxing and computer work stations, Tech Services, full-service Print & Marketing Services, Staples Merchant Services, small business lending and credit services.

About Staples for StudentsStaples has a long history of supporting students, teachers and classrooms. Staples for Students is an ongoing program that helps students and teachers with the school supplies and essential items needed to achieve success in education. The Staples for Students campaign has included school supply drives, support for teachers in classrooms, donations for education projects, classroom initiatives such as Designed by Students, and the sale of products that give back to communities and classrooms in need.

About DonorsChoose.orgFounded in 2000 by a Bronx history teacher, DonorsChoose.org has raised more than $470 million for America's classrooms. Teachers come to DonorsChoose.org to request the materials and experiences they need most for their classrooms, and donors give to the projects that inspire them. More than 2 million people and partners have funded 800,000 projects on the site, reaching 20 million students and making DonorsChoose.org the leading platform for supporting U.S. public schools. DonorsChoose.org is the only crowdfunding platform that vets each request, delivers materials directly to schools, and captures the impact of every funded project with photos, thank yous, and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent. In 2014, DonorsChoose.org made the top 10 of Fast Company’s list of the World's Most Innovative Companies, the first time a charity has received such recognition. Learn more at www.donorschoose.org.

Staples, Inc.Carrie McElwee, 508-253-1405Carrie.McElwee@Staples.comorKaitlyn Reardon, 508-253-8512Kaitlyn.Reardon@Staples.com

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