National Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Program

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children – better known as the WIC Program - is a federally funded nutrition program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). WIC has just released its 2011- 2012 income eligibility guidelines.

In honor of this we've decided to publish some frequently asked questions about the program, answered by the friendly staff at the Meriden WIC office. The office is located inside the Meriden Health Department at 165 Miller Street.

What is WIC?

Patricia Sullivan, WIC Program Coordinator, answered “The WIC program serves to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5. The Meriden WIC program currently serves over 2,400 clients. Families must meet income guidelines, the newest of which were just updated as of April 1, 2011. Participants must also live in Connecticut and have a nutritional need for WIC foods, which can be medically based, such as low birth weight, or diet based, such as poor eating habits.”

What kind of healthy foods does WIC provide?

“WIC provides a wide variety of healthy, high nutrient foods for clients. Foods like milk, cheese, eggs, tofu, peanut butter, dried beans, whole wheat bread, fruits, vegetables, and infant formulas and cereals are just small sampling of what could be offered to a client.  A WIC nutrition professional will work with the client to select foods that best fit their nutritional needs. Between July and October WIC clients also receive coupons to buy fruits and vegetables at the local farmer’s markets,” says Jill Stross, WIC Program Nutritionist.

What is the best result you have seen from WIC?

“There are so many happy stories to tell”, says Shelley Carpenter, WIC Program Nutritionist. “We had a 2-year-old who was overweight and had an iron deficiency because of excessive bottle use. The child is now off the bottle and has slimmed down because of nutrition counseling given to the mother. Moms also thank the WIC staff for the breastfeeding information and support which helps them to breastfeed their babies much longer and reach personal goals.”

What other types of support does WIC offer?

Rodney Delgado, WIC Program Nutritionist, says “In addition to the healthy foods offered in the program, WIC provides personalized nutrition education based on the family’s needs. WIC also provides referrals to other community programs such as School Readiness, Family Resource Center and Home by One, a program to find children a dental home by age 1. WIC provides prenatal education that focuses on good nutrition, alleviating pregnancy discomforts, food safety and maintaining appropriate weight gain during pregnancy. WIC staff also promote breastfeeding education that is customized based on the mom’s needs”.

If someone has a question about WIC, who can they call to get more information?

People are more than welcome to call the Meriden WIC office at 203-630-4245. The state website, www.ct.gov/dph/wic, also has great information. The new 2011-2012 income eligibility guidelines can be viewed on the Meriden Health Department’s website, www.meridenhealth.com.