Lots of people who are eligible for the WIC nutrition program haven’t applied
Washington State Department of Health
More than 65,000 children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers qualify for—but aren’t enrolled in—the state’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. WIC provides nutrition counseling, free healthy foods, and breastfeeding support and health screenings for babies. African American, Pacific Islander, and Native American women have particularly low participation in the program during pregnancy, yet have some of the highest rates of premature and low birth weight babies. WIC wants to provide more women with services that boost their health, improve birth outcomes, and contribute to healthier babies. Many eligible women don’t know about the program or don’t know that they—and their children younger than five—qualify. Cathy Franklin of the WIC program says that a woman may assume her family makes too much money if she’s working. But that’s often not the case. A household of four can make $3,554 a month and still be eligible. A family with two qualifying people, like a breastfeeding mother and her baby, would receive checks for up to $100 of healthy food a month (along with other services). WIC currently serves more than 315,000 women and children each year in its 205 clinics across Washington. Find more information about WIC and how to apply at the Department of Health’s WIC website or by calling the Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588.