FAQs
General Program FAQs
Q: Who is eligible to participate in the Back to School Clothing Drive (Back to School) programs?
A: BTS provides its services directly to eligible Title 1 elementary schools through Maricopa County and the state of Arizona. We are not a direct service provider to the public. Individuals needing clothes for their children should contact their child’s elementary school to determine if they participate in our programs.
Q: What are your hours of operation?
A: Our office is open Monday – Friday, 11 am – 2 pm; and every third Saturday, 10 am – 2 pm. You must make an appointment during one of these times. Please call (623) 842-1727, option #2 to schedule an appointment.
Q: I have items that I would like to donate to the charity. How do I do that?
A: Back to School hosts a monthly open house on the third Saturday of each month, 10 am – 1 pm, for our Stitches of Love program. We encourage you to drop off your materials and other donations during that time.
New Clothes New Beginnings Annual Distribution Event
Q: How do you select the schools and kids that participate in your programs?
A: We rely on our partner schools to select the children that participate. We only ask that the children are between the ages of 5 – 12, going into the 1st grade through those going into 6th grade. We cannot serve kids younger than 5 or older than 12.
Q: Which schools and districts participate in your Annual Distribution event?
A: We have over 130 schools and 40 school districts that participate in our programs comprised of the following school districts: Phoenix 75%; Glendale, Surprise, and Tolleson school districts: 4%; with the balance of schools from the following districts: Mesa, Paradise Valley, Buckeye, Chandler, Avondale; Laveen, Whittman all at 2%. Please visit the Partners tab for a detailed listing of our partner schools.
Q: What does each child get who attends/participates in the Distribution event?
A: Each child receives more than $175 of free clothing and schools supplies including: Two shorts/skorts, two polo shirts (one white and one in the schools color); three pairs of socks; thee pairs of underwear (Boys Boxers or Girls Hipsters); one backpack; a pair of athletic shoes (sneakers); a hand made item from our Stitches of Love; and schools supplies including: pencils, paper, rulers, erasers, glue, school pouch, crayons, colored pencils, and more.
Q: What volunteer opportunities are available for individuals and groups?
A: Our main volunteer effort takes place during our Annual Distribution event each July. Volunteers work in two shifts – Morning: 7:30 – 11:30 am or Noon – 4 pm each day of the event. You can choose from a variety of roles including inventory management, backpack stuffing, personal shopper, department store worker (shoes, socks/underwear, shirts/sweatshirts, shorts/skorts, Stitches of Love, backpacks, or registration), set up or tear down.
Q: Where do the clothes/items come from?
A: Back to School purchases more than $500,000 of new clothing each year to distribute to the kids we serve. We do not accept or give out any used clothing or supplies. Many civic organizations, schools and corporations across the Valley also hold sock and underwear or school supply drives to help us offset our costs. These items are provided through one of two programs – our Annual New Clothes New Beginnings Distribution event held each year at which over 9,500 kids benefit; and our Student Attire For Education (SAFE), our exclusive matching grants program that through which schools purchase new school outfits and uniforms for their clothing closets. In all, more than 20,000 kids benefit from our programs each year.
Q: Can my club, school, or civic organization donate clothes and schools supplies to the program?
A: Yes, Back to School accepts NEW school outfits and uniforms to supplement the merchandise we purchase for our programs. Please visit the Host a Drive tab for additional information.
Student Attire For Education (SAFE)
Q: What is the SAFE program?
A: SAFE is a matching grants program through which eligible Title 1 elementary schools can apply for a matching grant up to $2,500 to purchase clothes for their clothing closets. With the match schools can then shop directly online in the Back to School online retail store taking advantage of our exclusive low prices and door-to-door customer service and delivery.
Q: How do I apply for the matching grant?
A: All applications are submitted online directly on our web site and the match is given to schools on a first-come, first-serve basis. We provide approximately $200,000 in matching grants each year and due to the program’s popularity we encourage interested schools to apply as early in the school year as possible.
Q: Can I apply for more than one grant in a school year?
A: No you must apply once each year so we encourage you to request the total amount you will need for the year to guarantee that funds will be available when you need it.
Q: How do your prices compare with Wal-Mart, and other local retailers?
A: We are competitively priced with other retailers and uniform providers in the Valley. The advantage of shopping with Back to School is that we DOUBLE your money, spending power, and items you can purchase as a result of our exclusive matching grant program. No other retailer or nonprofit in the Valley provides this service.
Q: Our school received money from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust for school clothing. Can I use that money to receive a matching grant from you?
A: Absolutely, Back to School works closely with the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust each year to leverage the dollars they provide with the money we have available for a matching grant. We strongly encourage you to use those dollars to apply for our matching grant.
