7 U.S.C. § 7501 — Definitions

In this chapter: (1) **Additional commodities** — The term “additional commodities” means commodities made available under [section 7515 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section7515&num=0&edition=prelim) in addition to the commodities made available under sections 7502 and 7507 of this title. (2) **Average monthly number of unemployed persons** — The term “average monthly number of unemployed persons” means the average monthly number of unemployed persons in each State during the most recent fiscal year for which information concerning the number of unemployed persons is available, as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor. (3) **Eligible recipient agency** — The term “eligible recipient agency” means a public or nonprofit organization that— (A) administers— (i) an emergency feeding organization; (ii) a charitable institution (including a hospital and a retirement home, but excluding a penal institution) to the extent that the institution serves needy persons; (iii) a summer camp for children, or a child nutrition program providing food service; (iv) a nutrition project operating under the Older Americans Act of 1965 ([42 U.S.C. 3001](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section3001&num=0&edition=prelim) et seq.), including a project that operates a congregate nutrition site and a project that provides home-delivered meals; or (v) a disaster relief program; (B) has been designated by the appropriate State agency, or by the Secretary; and (C) has been approved by the Secretary for participation in the program established under this chapter. (4) **Emergency feeding organization** — The term “emergency feeding organization” means a public or nonprofit organization that administers activities and projects (including the activities and projects of a charitable institution, a food bank, a food pantry, a hunger relief center, a soup kitchen, or a similar public or private nonprofit eligible recipient agency) providing nutrition assistance to relieve situations of emergency and distress through the provision of food to needy persons, including low-income and unemployed persons. (5) **Food bank** — The term “food bank” means a public or charitable institution that maintains an established operation involving the provision of food or edible commodities, or the products of food or edible commodities, to food pantries, soup kitchens, hunger relief centers, or other food or feeding centers that, as an integral part of their normal activities, provide meals or food to feed needy persons on a regular basis. (6) **Food pantry** — The term “food pantry” means a public or private nonprofit organization that distributes food to low-income and unemployed households, including food from sources other than the Department of Agriculture, to relieve situations of emergency and distress. (7) **Poverty line** — The term “poverty line” has the meaning provided in [section 9902(2) of title 42](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section9902/2&num=0&edition=prelim). (8) **Soup kitchen** — The term “soup kitchen” means a public or charitable institution that, as an integral part of the normal activities of the institution, maintains an established feeding operation to provide food to needy homeless persons on a regular basis. (9) **Total value of additional commodities** — The term “total value of additional commodities” means the actual cost of all additional commodities that are paid by the Secretary (including the distribution and processing costs incurred by the Secretary). (10) **Value of additional commodities allocated to each State** — The term “value of additional commodities allocated to each State” means the actual cost of additional commodities allocated to each State that are paid by the Secretary (including the distribution and processing costs incurred by the Secretary).