The Department of Education may accept and distribute donated commodities available for either public or private nonprofit educational institutions, subject to state or federal law or regulation relating to such acceptance and distribution. The department shall make a charge sufficient to cover but not exceed all costs of distribution to the individual schools. The charge may include administrative expenses, freight, warehousing, storing, processing and transshipment to the end that all participating schools shall receive such donated commodities at the same unit cost irrespective of location of the school with respect to the original point of delivery within the state. [Amended by 1989 c.491 §10]