COMAR 07.03.17.59. Meal Providers for the Homeless.

(a) Provide to the FNS the written approval received from the local department;

(b) Be a public or private nonprofit organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Code;

(d) Provide all data on the nature and scope of operations that may be requested by the FNS. B. In this regulation, average cost is determined by averaging food costs over a period of up to 1 calendar month. C. After receipt of the FNS authorization, the authorized homeless meal provider shall:

(1) Request only voluntary use of Program benefits from a homeless FSP patron;

(2) Establish that the FSP patron is homeless and thus has the right to purchase meals from an authorized homeless meal provider with Program benefits;

(3) Limit the payment requested for the meal to not exceed the average cost of the food purchased by the homeless meal provider; and

(4) Provide the option to a FSP patron to eat free or make a donation in cash or Program benefits if other patrons have the option of eating free or making a monetary donation. D. The meal provider may accept voluntary payments by Program recipients in excess of average cost. E. Exclusion of Costs. To determine the amount to be requested from the Program recipient, the meal provider may not consider:

(1) The value of donated food from any source; or

(2) Indirect costs, such as those incurred in the acquisition, storage, or preparation of the food used in meals. F. A homeless meal provider may not act as an authorized representative for a homeless Program recipient.