Agency Guidelines

Please have all agency representatives read through these guidelines before shopping at BCS. 

Shopping Times and Guidelines

Shopping Hours

Tuesday & Thursday  9:00 – 11:00 am  (check in at 8:45 am)

Pick a Shopping Day

Agencies that have been cleared to participate may come to shop on Tuesday or Thursday at 9:00am. Choose one day as your regular pickup day and come weekly on that day. If you cannot come that day, you may make it up another day that week. It is not necessary to call if you are substituting your regular day. Please have a consistent point person shop for your agency.

Requirements

Nothing that you receive from Birch may be sold.  This protects our relationship with our donors.

Agencies will ensure food safety best practices with product received from BCS.                             

Only one person per agency is allowed in the warehouse.  Additional help may wait in the parking lot (only 2-3 helpers total to assist you).  Children are not allowed at BCS during agency shopping time.

• Agencies are required to fill out an update form with us annually on their anniversary.  In addition, it is the agency’s responsibility to fill out an update form with any change in management.
• Open-toed shoes/heels are prohibited in the warehouse.
• Smoking is prohibited on the premises.
• If you need to use the restroom, please leave it as clean as you found it.
• Any participating agency that does not exhibit our cultural values and principles or has not attended for one month without communication, will be removed from the program.
• Agencies are not eligible to refer families for participation on this program. If you know a family in need, please have them apply for participation from our website.

Check-In

Agencies are required to check in for shopping. Check-in begins at 8:45am. You may line up at the warehouse door #2. Please do not arrive in the BCS parking lot before 8:30 am and be out of the parking lot by 11:00 am.   You may return empty crates, etc., to the warehouse after 8:30am.

Shopping

Please use our rolling carts, shopping carts and hand trucks to move your items through the warehouse.  Be aware at all times of any equipment that may be utilized around you, and ALWAYS GIVE EQUIPMENT THE RIGHT OF WAY. This is for your safety!

• As you shop, please leave the area orderly. (Put signs back where they belong, remove boxes you empty, etc.)
  If you spill or break something, please clean it up.
• Observe the Agencies signs “AGENCIES: X, Limit, and No Limit”. Take only the items that have been designated for agencies. Take only what your agency will use; in other words, for the group of people you have indicated on your green Agency Participation or Update Form.
• Please be respectful and considerate of other shopping agencies. Those who do not abide by our cultural values will be removed as a shopping agency.
• Please weigh your products, enter the total weight on the clipboard near the scale, and return your nametag.
• Please be finished shopping and leaving the parking lot by 11:00 am.

Monthly Service Fee

Birch Community Services, Inc. is primarily a self-supporting agency. Our families and agencies pay a monthly service fee which covers all operational costs (rent, gas, utilities, shrink wrap, etc.) and pays for our employees. We gladly give other agencies about 30% of our product. Agencies that come on a regular/semi-regular basis pay a $125 monthly service fee unless you are REGULARLY reciprocating with product. We currently accept check, money orders, or debit card
($3 merchant fee).

The agency service fee is due by the end of the month for the following month (ie. pay by October 31 for November).

If you pay on the 1^st for the current month, your payment is already late.

Each agency is allowed two late payments in a two-year period. Any subsequent late payments will incur a $50 late fee.

Printable invoices are available upon request. You may pay quarterly or yearly if you are interested in doing so.

Danner Boots

Danner Boot Co. has graciously donated their returned boots to BCS.  Their donation is based on the criteria that they believe our participants or agency participants are not in a financial position to purchase Danner Boots; therefore, the company is not losing any potential sales. 

It is understood that all boots have been returned to the factory and therefore have some sort of defect. Some defects are very obvious, while others are so slight, we can’t see them if we look for it. These boots contain no warranty and are marked in a way that prohibits them from being taken to any Danner Outlet for return or refund. Please do not take to Danner for repairs.

These boots are available to agencies once your agency has been approved to receive and distribute boots.  Each agency is responsible for keeping accurate records for the distribution of the boots they receive.

BOOT REQUEST FORMS – Please turn in your completed Boot Request Forms when you check in.

Forms are available in the warehouse, or you may print from our Agency Resource Folder (ask us for a link).

All information on form must be complete and accurate.

Please print the first and the last name of the recipient.  Indicate the size (include alternate men’s size when requesting women’s boots) and type (work, rubber, hiking, safety toe, etc.).

AGENCIES MAY RECEIVE A MAXIMUM OF 8 PAIRS OF BOOTS PER WEEK, 32 PAIRS PER MONTH. You may submit more than 8 names on each Boot Request Form, although only 8 requests will be filled.

Boots are only to go to the immediate participating agency staff and clientele.  DO NOT give boots to friends or family.  Under no circumstances may the boots be resold. Any agency discovered violating this policy will be removed from our agency program.

The Boot Request Form must be completed and signed only by the ‘head of agency’. Boots will be provided within 1-3 weeks, based on need and availability.