79-10,141.

Summer Food Service Program; legislative intent; department; duties; preference for grants; applications.

(1) Because children are susceptible to hunger in the summertime, resulting in negative health effects, the Legislature intends, as a state nutrition and health policy, that the State of Nebraska's participation in the Summer Food Service Program of the United States Department of Agriculture be strengthened where it is needed to provide adequate nutrition for children.

(2) To encourage participation and utilization of the Summer Food Service Program, the department shall:

(a) Provide information to sponsors concerning the benefits and availability of the Summer Food Service Program; and

(b) Award grants of up to fifteen thousand dollars on a competitive basis to sponsors approved by the department. Grants awarded under this section may be used for nonrecurring expenses incurred in initiating or expanding services under the Summer Food Service Program, including, but not limited to, the acquisition of equipment, salaries of staff, training of staff in new capacities, outreach efforts to publicize new or expanded services under the Summer Food Service Program, minor alterations to accommodate new equipment, computer point-of-service systems for food service, transportation costs associated with food delivery to accommodate rural noncongregate meal service, and the purchase of vehicles for transporting food to sites. Funds may be expended up to the full cost of a qualifying expense incurred by a sponsor in initiating or expanding the services under the Summer Food Service Program, and if the funds are expended solely for the benefit of child nutrition programs administered by the department, no proration of the expense shall be required. Funds shall not be used for food, computers, except point-of-service systems, or capital outlay. The total amount of grants awarded under this section shall be limited to one hundred thousand dollars per fiscal year.

(3) In awarding grants under this section, the department shall give preference in the following order of priority to:

(a) Sponsors located within the boundaries of school districts in which fifty percent or more of the students apply and qualify for free and reduced-price lunches or located within the boundaries of a census tract in which fifty percent or more of the children fall under the poverty threshold as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture;

(b) Sponsors in which health or education activities are emphasized; and

(c) Sponsors that participate in the Summer Food Service Program at the time of grant application.

(4) Sponsors may apply for grants under this section by:

(a) Submitting to the department a plan to start or expand services under the Summer Food Service Program;

(b) Agreeing to operate the Summer Food Service Program for a period of not less than two years; and

(c) Assuring that the expenditure of funds from state and local resources for the maintenance of other child nutrition programs administered by the department shall not be diminished as a result of grants received under this section.