FNS Documents & Resources

A final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Community Eligibility Provision-Increasing Options for Schools (88 FR 65778), was published on Sept. 26, 2023, with an effective date of Oct. 26, 2023, that established the 25 percent minimum ISP threshold.  As a result, more students, households, and schools have the opportunity to experience CEP’s benefits, such as increasing access to school meals at no cost, eliminating unpaid meal charges, minimizing stigma, and streamlining meal service operations.

The purpose of Farm to Food Bank Projects is to (a) reduce food waste at the agricultural production, processing, or distribution level through the donation of food, (b) provide food to individuals in need, and (c) build relationships between agricultural producers, processors, and distributors and emergency feeding organizations through the donation of food.

Project summaries for the 29 TEFAP state agencies that received fiscal year 2022 Farm to Food Bank project funding.

Households with a child  approved to receive free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program during the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year are eligible for the Federal Communication Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit. EBB is a federal program to help eligible families pay for internet service during the pandemic.

FNS is establishing a targeted waiver, for all states and local educational agencies, to extend statutory and regulatory deadlines relating to Community Eligibility Provision reporting and election during the public health emergency due to COVID–19.

During the second year of Farm to Food Bank Project funding, FNS allocated $3.764 million to 24 TEFAP state agencies that submitted plans to implement Farm to Food Bank Projects. Seventeen of those states received FY 2020 funding and seven are newly participating states. The 24 state agencies that received an award are identified in this resource. 

 

This memo is addressed to TEFAP state agencies and provides the initial allocations for FY 2021 Farm to Food Bank Projects. This memo includes details on information collections under OMB# 0584-0293 and OMB# 0584-0594.

FNS is establishing a nationwide waiver to support the Community  Eligibility Provision while schools are responding to the novel coronavirus. The deadlines affected by this waiver include the CEP election, notification and reporting deadlines.

This memorandum implements requirements under the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 and provides guidance to TEFAP state agencies on best practices to minimize food waste of privately donated foods provided to TEFAP state agencies and eligible recipient agencies. 

Section 4104 of the Farm Bill directs USDA to issue guidance to promote awareness of donations of apparently wholesome food by qualified direct donors protected under section 22(c) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. This guidance only applies to privately donated foods provided to TEFAP state agencies and eligible recipient agencies  and is not applicable to USDA Foods provided through TEFAP.