This manual was developed for agencies receiving food commodities distributed to eligible schools and noneducational organizations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the California State Department of Education's Office of Surplus Property. It covers rules, regulations, and forms for recipients who are public or private schools or child-care programs. Fifteen sections cover (1) guidelines for schools, including eligibility for participation and allowable uses of the food; (2) child-care agencies' eligibility and means of participating; (3) procedures for ordering food through the regular commodities offerings every 2 months; (4) procedures for delivery and receipt of commodities; (5) commodity storage and use directions; (6) inventory control methods; (7) locations of the program's California warehouses; (8) procedures for agreements with food processing companies to process the commodities; (9) relationships with food service management companies; (10) guidelines for food losses; (11) future policy memoranda; (12) regulations "reporter"; (13) directory of California commodity program personnel; (14) 13 commodity program forms and guidelines, including distribution agreements, food storage guides, and inventory forms; and (15) copies of relevant USDA regulations. (RW)