What Birch Community Services does

Birch Community Services, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 17780 NE San Rafael St., Portland, Oregon, that combines a weekly food redistribution program with structured financial literacy education to serve low-to-moderate income families in the Pacific Northwest. The organization's core product is the integration of two services: families apply and shop weekly at the Birch warehouse for 2,000-10,000 pounds of donated fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable product per visit, while concurrently enrolling in the re$tart financial literacy course and Family Vision workshops designed to move participants beyond paycheck-to-paycheck living toward lasting stability. The operational footprint includes a Portland warehouse, a Garden Program, a participant-sourced recipe blog (The Shared Table), a Stories of Change blog, and dedicated digital portals for participants, agency partners, and community volunteers.

The organization sustains its operations through a hybrid revenue model. The largest funding stream is individual giving — cash, check, debit/credit/ACH donations, appreciated securities, Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs (up to $111,000 per individual age 70½ or older in 2026), Required Minimum Distributions, Donor-Advised Fund grants (Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable), and legacy/estate gifts. A second recurring stream comes from agency partner fees of $150 per month paid by 70+ nonprofit, church, and community organization partners (food pantries, shelters, resource centers) that shop weekly to redistribute product across the region. A third stream is program participant dues, the specific amounts of which are not publicly disclosed. No proprietary technology underpins the operation; the digital portals are administrative tools rather than AI- or ML-enabled platforms.

Birch operates a 30+-person paid staff — Executive Director Suzanne Birch, three Directors (Operations, Financial Services, Business Operations), a Financial Literacy Team (5), Administration Team (8), Development Team (2), Garden Team (2), and Warehouse Team (9+) — supported by community volunteers. The organization reports serving 975+ families weekly and 850+ families monthly, conducting 150+ financial counseling sessions per month, and redistributing approximately 1.2 million pounds of donated product per month to 49,000+ individuals through the agency partner network across the Pacific Northwest. It holds the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, a Charity Navigator rating, and Great Nonprofits Top-Rated status, and was named one of Oregon Business's 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in 2025.

Name

Birch Community Services

Legal name

Birch Community Services, Inc.

Website

https://birchcommunityservices.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Birch Community Services is a Portland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that combines weekly food redistribution (1.2M lbs/month) with the re$tart financial literacy course to help Pacific Northwest families move from food insecurity to lasting financial stability.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Redistribution and Financial Literacy Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Food redistribution services
• Financial literacy education
• Community food assistance
• Family stability programs
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Cash, check, debit/credit/ACH donations from individual supporters. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donations are tax-deductible.
2. Securities & Retirement Donations: Donors can transfer appreciated securities, make Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs (up to $111,000 in 2026 for individuals age 70½ or older), and use Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) to support the organization.
3. Donor-Advised Funds & Legacy Giving: Accepts gifts from DAFs (Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable) and planned/estate gifts through wills or trusts.
4. Agency Partner Fees: Partner agencies pay a $150 monthly service fee to help cover shared operational costs and receive weekly access to food products for redistribution.
5. Program Participant Dues: Families participating in the program contribute program dues, which sustain a portion of the organization's work alongside donor generosity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Birch Community Services operates a food redistribution program combined with financial literacy education. Participating families shop weekly at the Portland warehouse for 2,000–10,000 lbs of donated fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable food, while completing the re$tart financial literacy course and Family Vision workshops to move from paycheck-to-paycheck living toward lasting financial stability.

Product overview

Birch Community Services operates as a food redistribution nonprofit combined with a financial literacy program. The core offerings include a food redistribution program where partner agencies shop weekly for donated products, the re$tart financial literacy course, and Family Vision workshops. Supporting resources include The Shared Table recipe blog, participant and agency portals, a community volunteers portal, garden program, and Stories of Change blog. The organization uses food as a tool to equip families with financial skills while redistributing approximately 1.2 million pounds of donated product monthly through 70+ partner agencies serving 49,000+ individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Redistribution Program
• re$tart Financial Literacy Course
• Family Vision Workshops
• Agency Partner Program
• Garden Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 975+ families achieve weekly access to nutritious food and work toward financial stability
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agency Partner NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor70+ nonprofits, churches, and community organizations (food pantries, shelters, community resource centers) serve as distribution partners across the Northwest. Partners pay $150/month service fee and shop weekly to receive 2,000-10,000 lbs of product for redistribution to their communities.
• Fidelity CharitableminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonor-Advised Fund provider through which supporters can recommend grants to Birch Community Services
• Schwab CharitableminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonor-Advised Fund provider through which supporters can recommend grants to Birch Community Services
• Vanguard CharitableminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonor-Advised Fund provider through which supporters can recommend grants to Birch Community Services
• VanguardminorOthersBrokerage account (Account #25276859, DTC #0062) used to receive donated securities and investments

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• LIFT: National nonprofit providing one-on-one financial coaching and goal-setting for low-income families. Comparable financial literacy/goal-setting overlay that families at Birch receive, though delivered as the core service rather than bundled with food.

Others

• Hunger Free America: National hunger-relief advocacy and food assistance nonprofit. Thematically adjacent — comparable food insecurity mission and donor audience, though oriented around advocacy rather than warehouse redistribution.

Broad incumbents

• Second Harvest Food Bank: Larger regional food bank (multiple regional entities) operating warehouse-scale redistribution and partner agency networks — comparable operating model at greater scale.
• United Way: National federated fundraising and social services umbrella. Comparable donor acquisition infrastructure and overlapping funding pool, with many local United Ways funding agency partners like Birch's distribution network.
• Feeding America: National umbrella for 200+ regional food banks. Broad incumbent in food redistribution; Birch operates outside this network but competes for the same donor dollars and surplus food supply.
• Goodwill Industries International: Large national nonprofit combining workforce development, financial coaching, and material goods redistribution. Comparable hybrid model bundling economic empowerment services rather than food.
• Catholic Charities USA: National social services network operating food pantries, financial counseling, and emergency assistance. Comparable multi-program social services structure serving overlapping low-income populations.

Direct peers

• Oregon Food Bank: Oregon's largest regional food bank, headquartered in Portland. Directly comparable as a food redistribution nonprofit operating in the same Pacific Northwest footprint with both direct distribution and an agency partner network.
• Northwest Harvest: Washington-state food bank association operating food distribution statewide. Directly comparable regional food redistribution model with mobile markets and agency partnerships.
• Food Lifeline: Seattle-based Feeding America affiliate redistributing surplus food across Western Washington. Directly comparable food bank model serving a neighboring Pacific Northwest region with agency partner distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BCSPortland
• Facebookfacebook.com/birchcommunityservices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birch-community-services-inc-

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Birch Community Services