Emergency food program infrastructure grants
Definition of eligible entity
Program authorized
In general
Rural preference
The Secretary shall use not less than 50 percent of the funds described in paragraph (1) for a fiscal year to make grants to eligible entities that serve predominantly rural communities for the purposes of—
expanding the capacity and infrastructure of food banks, State-wide food bank associations, and food bank collaboratives that operate in rural areas; and
improving the capacity of the food banks to procure, receive, store, distribute, track, and deliver time-sensitive or perishable food products.
Use of funds
An eligible entity shall use a grant received under this section for any fiscal year to carry out activities of the eligible entity, including—
the development and maintenance of a computerized system for the tracking of time-sensitive food products;
capital, infrastructure, and operating costs associated with the collection, storage, distribution, and transportation of time-sensitive and perishable food products;
improving the security and diversity of the emergency food distribution and recovery systems of the United States through the support of small or mid-size farms and ranches, fisheries, and aquaculture, and donations from local food producers and manufacturers to persons in need;
providing recovered foods to food banks and similar nonprofit emergency food providers to reduce hunger in the United States;
improving the identification of—
potential providers of donated foods;
potential nonprofit emergency food providers; and
persons in need of emergency food assistance in rural areas; and
constructing, expanding, or repairing a facility or equipment to support hunger relief agencies in the community.