7 U.S.C. § 7511a — Emergency food program infrastructure grants

(a) Definition of eligible entity. “Eligible entity” means an emergency feeding organization^*. This section does not define that term. (b) Program authorized—(1) In general. The Secretary must use subsection (d) funds for grants to eligible entities paying costs of subsection (c) activities. (2) Rural preference. For each fiscal year, at least 50 percent of those funds must grant to entities serving mainly rural communities for—(A) expanding rural food banks’, statewide food-bank associations’, and food-bank collaboratives’ capacity and infrastructure; and (B) improving food banks’ ability to obtain, receive, store, distribute, track, and deliver time-sensitive or perishable food. (c) Use of funds. An eligible entity must use a grant for its activities, including—(1) developing and maintaining a computerized system tracking time-sensitive food; (2) capital, infrastructure, and operating costs for collecting, storing, distributing, and transporting time-sensitive and perishable food; (3) improving the security and variety of U.S. emergency-food distribution and recovery systems by supporting small or midsize farms and ranches, fisheries, aquaculture, and donations from local producers and manufacturers to people in need; (4) providing recovered food to food banks and similar nonprofit emergency-food providers to reduce hunger in the United States; (5) improving identification of (A) potential donated-food providers, (B) potential nonprofit emergency-food providers, and (C) people needing emergency food assistance in rural areas; and (6) building, expanding, or repairing facilities or equipment supporting community hunger-relief agencies. (d) Authorization of appropriations. $15,000,000 is authorized for each fiscal year from 2008 through 2023.