HR6834-119

What This Bill Does

The STORE Act revises section 209 of the Emergency Food Assistance Act. Instead of making infrastructure grants directly to emergency feeding organizations, it makes the State agency designated in the State plan the grant distributor. It changes the program preference to cover Tribal, low-income, remote, and other underserved communities. It broadens eligible uses from narrow time-sensitive food tracking to equipment and activities needed to safely and efficiently distribute food to people in need, including commodities provided by USDA and commodities secured from other sources. It adds mobile and home delivery options, outreach assessments or professional studies, governmental and Tribal entities, renovation rather than only construction, and up to 10 percent of each grant for administrative costs. It raises the authorization from $15 million to $25 million for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030. Separately, it requires USDA within two years to study national shortages in refrigerated and frozen storage space, refrigerated trucks, dry trucks, trailers, and related emergency food delivery vehicles, estimate the cost to meet food bank and food pantry needs, and provides $1 million available until expended for that work.

Who Benefits and How

Food banks, food pantries, and emergency food organizations benefit from a wider infrastructure grant program for cold storage, vehicles, renovations, mobile delivery, home delivery, and outreach planning. Tribal, low-income, remote, and underserved communities benefit because the grant preference is explicitly directed toward their food-distribution needs. State agencies benefit from authority to distribute grant funds and claim limited administrative costs. Refrigerated storage and delivery vendors may benefit from demand for coolers, freezers, trucks, and trailers.

Who Bears the Burden and How

State TEFAP agencies must distribute grants, manage preferences, and administer the revised program. USDA Food and Nutrition Service staff must oversee the expanded grant structure and conduct the cold-storage needs study within two years. Federal taxpayers fund the $25 million annual authorization for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 and the $1 million study appropriation. Emergency food organizations seeking funds must document infrastructure needs and may need to coordinate with State agencies rather than applying directly.

Key Provisions

• Expands EFAP infrastructure grants to State agency distribution under State plans.
• Adds Tribal, low-income, remote, and underserved community preferences.
• Authorizes grants for food-distribution equipment, mobile delivery, home delivery, outreach studies, renovation, and administrative costs.
• Raises authorization to $25 million for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030.
• Requires USDA to report on national cold-storage, truck, trailer, and emergency food delivery needs within two years.
• Provides $1 million available until expended for the cold-storage needs study.