IMPORTANT:
The Southern Exchange plans to be open today from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for those who have made shopping appointments. There are a few vacancies as of this morning that we would like to see filled in!
The Southern Exchange
The Southern Exchange serves students and student families through the distribution of free used clothing, shoes, household goods and furniture. Join the Southern Exchange team in their essential work needed to sort and organize donations, serving and encouraging our students and their families.
Apply to VolunteerAnnouncements
For the most up-to-date announcements from the volunteers of The Southern Exchange, please ensure you’re frequently checking here for monthly updates.
January Update:
The Southern Exchange is pleased to reopen by appointment only starting on Tuesday, January 19. Just like last semester, we invite current students to book a 15 minute shopping appointment on our webpage. Only one family member can shop at a time and we ask families to limit appointments to once a week so we accommodate as many families as possible between 2-5 p.m. on Tuesdays-Fridays.No shows will lose the privilege of shopping. We look forward to welcoming you back. We have lots of new donations in stock. Email thesouthernexchange@sbts.edu with any questions.
Reopening Guidelines, Plans, and Procedures
The Southern Exchange is excited to announce that we are now open for the fall. To ensure that we operate safely in accordance with CDC guidelines, guests may shop by appointment only. To register for a shopping appointment or furniture pick-up, please click the button below:
The Southern Exchange will follow all CDC guidelines and Kentucky Healthy at Work requirements as set forth for retail businesses. These guidelines will be reviewed and updated as these requirements change.
Customers
- Customers must make appointments, scheduling their shopping times using the user friendly link posted here on our webpage.
- To minimize potential virus exposure, only one family member is allowed. Children are not allowed to accompany a parent.
- Since there is a very limited number of appointment slots per week, we request family units limit appointments to once a week. For example, if a wife shops one week, her husband may shop the next week, if desired. We will cancel appointments from the same family unit that are more often than once between Tuesday and Friday—the days we are open.
- Face coverings must be worn at all times while inside The Southern Exchange.
- Customers must follow social distancing guidelines while shopping.
- Customers must queue outside until their appointment time.
- Customers will have temperatures checks before entering. If a customer has a temperature above what is allowable, the customer will not be able to enter.
- The number of customers will be limited to four: two customers on each side of the hallway.
- Each room will be limited to one customer.
- To support social distancing, it is recommended that customer traffic follow a single path, beginning on the northwest hallway entrance (books), through the west rooms, and then crossing the hallway to the kitchen items, and moving toward the checkout desk.
- 90 day items should be taken on the same day of the shopping appointment if at all possible. However, we have an appointment link on our webpage, separate from the shopping link, so that appointments to pick up larger reserved items can be scheduled. Most will be on Mondays when we are not open for shopping. We will also have a few slots on Tuesdays-Fridays just prior to our opening at 2 PM.
Staff
- Face coverings must be worn for any interactions between co-workers or customers or while in common travel areas. Staff are not required to wear face coverings while alone in personal offices or if doing so would pose a serious threat to their health or safety. This includes both when the Exchange is open for customers and non-business hours when the volunteers are processing donations.
- Staff should take daily temperature checks when arriving to work.
- Staff should maintain six feet of distance between customers and other staff as much as possible and avoid any prolonged close contact.
- Staff will be trained in the Kentucky Healthy at Work requirements
PPE & Other Equipment
- Hand sanitizing stations will be installed in three locations: the entry to the shopping area, midway through the shopping area, and near the check-out desk. This will provide customers and volunteers with access to hand sanitizer throughout the SE. Sodexo will ensure these stations remain filled.
- Gloves and face masks will be provided for volunteers.
- Volunteers should check temperatures as they arrive. A no-contact thermometer will be provided so that volunteers can check temperatures as they arrive.
- A plexiglass shield will be added to the checkout desk.
- Signage and social distancing markers will be installed as required by the Kentucky Healthy at Work requirements.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
- Sodexo will clean and disinfect the area daily, or any day volunteers and/or customers are present.
- Volunteers will be supplied with disinfectant wipes or other products as needed for their use during their daily activities.
Donations
- Two storage pods have been placed outside the main entry. They are clearly labeled so donors will know where to place bagged items and furniture.
- Pods are unlocked from dawn to dusk each day.
- Donations will be quarantined for three full days or 72 hours before being handled by volunteers.
- Donations should only include good quality clothing, toys, household goods, furniture, etc. We cannot accept mattresses of any kind nor non-flat screen televisions. Please do not leave broken or stained furniture!
- Donors who would like a receipt should leave their name and mailing address firmly attached to their donations and we will be glad to mail a receipt.
Quick Facts about The Southern Exchange
The Southern Exchange is a collection of clothing, shoes, household goods, electronics and furniture.
Donations to The Southern Exchange are being accepted at Fuller Hall, and after hours donations may be left in the hallway.
Conveniently located on campus in Fuller Hall, Rooms 10-11. Look for the sign posted near the entrance door on the northeast corner of the building.
We are delighted to reopen and look forward to serving students and families even better than before. Please read these guidelines carefully.
- You must be a current student or student spouse/child. This will be verified by your Shield card number at checkout.
- On any given day, you may checkout with up to:
- FOUR clothing items per person
- FOUR household items per family—including toys
- TWO books per family
- Every 90 days, you may reserve a furniture item, appliance, large toy, bike, etc. We will tag what we consider to be 90 day items with a Southern Exchange tag. You must reserve these items by request from one of our volunteers. Once you are verified to be eligible, you may take the item that day but you have up to 7 days to make arrangements to pick it up. After 7 days, the reservation will be removed if the item is not picked up.
- Husbands and wives may each receive a 90 day item but children may not.
- Some especially nice 90 day items are tagged as “couples” items. These items count as a 90 day item for both the husband and the wife meaning that neither one can take another item for 90 days. We will allow 2 roommates to reserve these items as well but they are reserved under both names.
- We have limited food items in the kitchen room. We can provide additional items based on need. See a volunteer for details!
- We are open on TUESDAY-FRIDAY from 2-5 PM. We will be busy sorting on Mondays but will not be open for students.
- It is our joy to offer this ministry to SBTS and Boyce families….but it is a privilege for you to shop here. That privilege will be suspended if our policies are not followed. We require you to show us how many items you have at checkout. You must stop at the checkout every time you are taking items from The Southern Exchange.
- Our donation bins are under surveillance. Any students who take items from the hallway before they are processed will lose their privilege and be reported to the Dean of Students.
Volunteer at The Southern Exchange
Please contact us if you have an interest in serving with The Southern Exchange team. We have a stellar group of individuals who serve each week to help provide for seminary students and their families.
Contact the Volunteer Coordinator
If you want more information about volunteering at Southern Seminary, contact our Volunteer Coordinator
Phone: (502) 897-4258
Email: volunteer@sbts.edu
Visit The Southern Exchange
Please stop by The Southern Exchange or call (502) 897-4258 anytime during our hours of operation (Tuesday through Friday, 2 – 5 p.m.).
Current volunteers will be happy to get you connected and answer any questions that you have.
Donations
Volunteers and donors, please note the following:
- We gladly accept donations of gently used clothing & shoes (no undergarments or lingerie)
- We gladly accept extra kitchen & household goods (clean and in good working order)
- We are always in need of boys’ clothing
- We provide tax receipts upon request
- We depend on volunteers to staff the facility each afternoon
- We have an orientation guide on site to answer questions that volunteers might have
- We can be contacted by email at thesouthernexchange@sbts.edu
- We have an onsite phone number: (502) 897-4258
The Southern Exchange accepts food items between 2-5, Tuesday-Friday. Donors should bring the items during these hours so that a volunteer may store them to keep for seminary families in need. Canned food is accepted and may be left in the donation bins. Families in need who would benefit from these donations must contact The Southern Exchange at thesouthernexchange@sbts.edu and arrange an appointment for picking up food items.
UPDATES
- We are in need of good quality clothing, especially for older girls and boys.
- We are particularly in need of gently used furniture and toys.
- We regret that we are no longer accepting mattresses, mattress pads, or large back televisions.
