Boise aids in Hurricane Katrina relief

Boise Paper has announced that it has donated 319 tons of paper to the School, Home & Office Products Association (SHOPA) Kids in Need Foundation. The primary thrust behind this donation was to provide much needed print and copy paper to 16 school districts in Mississippi that were hit by Hurricane Katrina. In addition, a portion of the paper was sent to the Foundation’s national network of 21 resource centers to be used in underprivileged school districts.

‘With the devastation that occurred in the Gulf Region due to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, many schools and children have been affected in a terrible way,’ said Kristine Cohn, US Department of Education, regional secretary, who led the department’s ‘matchmaking’ efforts between donors and schools impacted by the hurricanes. ‘However, this tremendous effort will go a long way to helping schools in Mississippi get back on track and provide students with the resources that they need to grow and learn.’

‘We know that the people affected by Hurricane Katrina are committed to rebuilding their homes, schools, and communities,’ said Kevin Koertje, Boise Paper, office papers business leader. ‘When OfficeMax approached us on behalf of the SHOPA Kids In Need Foundation, there was no question we would help in the cause to rebuild the area by donating as much paper as possible. As a company that prides itself on going beyond what’s expected, we also realized that there were many other schools across the country in need, and we wanted to extend a hand to them as well.’