Summary
Domtar has a long history of supporting teachers and students through its literacy and education initiatives. This year is no exception. Our back-to-school giving has helped schools across North America receive much-needed supplies and support.
Take a look at how Domtar locations in the United States and Canada have made back-to-school giving a priority over the past two months.
Fort Mill, South Carolina
Hundreds of volunteers — including 17 from Domtar’s Fort Mill office — filled 59,000 backpacks with school supplies at the Charlotte Convention Center on August 5 for Classroom Central’s annual “Backpacks & Basics” event. The backpacks were delivered to students in the region’s highest-need schools on the first day of school, ensuring students started the year off right.
Domtar is one of Classroom Central’s original supporting organizations. In addition to volunteerism and community investment donations, we provide annual donations of office paper to Classroom Central.
“Our partnership with Classroom Central is a powerful example of how Domtar’s commitment to education comes to life through our employees,” says Jan Martin, Senior Director, State and Regional Public Affairs. “When our colleagues volunteer their time to pack backpacks and school supplies, they are doing more than preparing materials — they are helping students feel supported by their community and ready to begin the school year with confidence.”
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Elsewhere in South Carolina, our Rock Hill Converting Center took back-to-school giving to heart by hosting a school supply drive and making a 2K Your Way donation to The Foundation for Rock Hill Schools.
The Fort Mill office also donated to Richmond Drive Elementary School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, through the Office Depot Start Proud! Program. The program gives selected schools the opportunity for teachers to enjoy a shopping spree for classroom supplies.
Katie Varrassi, Director of Sales at Domtar, was on hand to give teachers well wishes during the event. “We just wish all of your teachers and your staff a wonderful school year,” she said. “Keep up the amazing work that you're doing for our students, our children, and future workers and society members in our communities.”
“Our relationship with Domtar and Office Depot is incredible,” said Robert Hamm, Richmon Drive Elementary School Principal. “We planned this together, but it was their generosity that made this happen.”
Windsor, Quebec
Windsor Mill organized a school supply drive for Maison de la Famille Les Arbrisseaux, an organization that assists families in the MRC du Val-Saint-François.
Employees collected backpacks, lunchboxes, pencils, erasers, calculators, binders and many other supplies to support families in the community. This back-to-school giving will ensure students have what they need for the 2026-27 school year.
Ashdown, Arkansas
Ashdown Mill employees donated $5,000 and 50 backpacks filled with nonperishable food items to the local Harvest Regional Food Bank to fund a program that will feed 50 school-aged children in Little River County schools for one year.
Domtar is a longtime supporter of Harvest Regional Food Bank and their efforts to feed families in the local community. In fact, Ashdown Mill has partnered and supported the backpack program for more than 16 years.
This year, employees worked together to collect food to fill each backpack with kid-friendly non-perishable food items. They also presented a check for one hundred dollars to help fund Harvest Regional Food Bank’s Backpack Program, which provides a package of kid-friendly, shelf-stable, self-serve foods to children identified by their school as chronically hungry.
Employee volunteers worked together to load up the backpacks for delivery to the Harvest Regional Food Bank, following a check presentation at the mill.
Plymouth, North Carolina
Employees from our Plymouth Mill donated school supplies to the local elementary school to give students a fresh start for the school year.
Domtar also made a $15,000 donation to Washington County School District to start their new Career and Technical Education (CTE) Marketplace program at Washington County High School in Plymouth.
The CTE Marketplace gives students real-world experience running a retail store. The goal is to help students build skills related to designing, creating, marketing and selling products. In addition to school spirit wear, hoodies, pins, decals and tumblers, students can use equipment to create personalize gifts, including custom mugs and apparel.
Clermont, Quebec
For the past three years, our Clermont Mill has held a back-to-school contest for the children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of mill employees. Children draw pictures showing how they feel about the start of the school year for a chance to win a bag of school supplies.
This year, 28 children entered the contest. Three entries were selected as winners.
Odette Lapointe, direction assistant at Clermont Mill, says, “The contest encourages children to talk about their feelings with their parents while drawing. It also helps reduce the financial burden of school supplies for the families.”
Miami, Florida
In Florida, our Hialeah Mill used its back-to-school giving efforts to support The Caring Place at Miami Rescue Mission/Broward Outreach Centers.
Donations supported the organization’s annual Back-to-School Bash, held August 1. More than 1,500 at-risk children and 500 families received backpacks filled with school supplies, new sneakers, t-shirts and hygiene items, as well as boxes of soda, bags of food and antiseptic wipes.
Morristown, Tennessee
Our Morristown Manufacturing Facility gave $300 to the Express Employment organization for purchasing backpacks full of school supplies. The backpacks were distributed to local families to help set students up for a strong start to the school year.
Hawesville, Kentucky
Domtar’s Hawesville Mill helped two organizations with its annual back-to-school giving. It donated $1,000 each to Hancock County Family Resource Center and Perry Central School for their back-to school events, which put much-needed school supplies into the hands of families in need.
Nekoosa, Wisconsin
Our Nekoosa Mill employees generously donated to United Way of South Wood and Adams Counties. The donations helped support the organization’s 2026 Stuff the Bus event.
Local residents and businesses collected school supplies, such as backpacks, notebooks, folders, writing utensils, scissors, crayons and more. United Way gathered donated supplies via school bus, and those items were distributed to students in need at a Stuff the Desk event.
Please see photos below.
