Imagine you are newly pregnant and struggling to make ends meet. Maybe this is your first experience with morning sickness. Or you can eat just fine, but aren’t sure what foods will best support your pregnancy. Perhaps you have given birth, but are struggling with how to best feed your new one. Or you have a young child, and want to make sure that they are getting everything they need to flourish.
Our WIC clinic on 280 Kenneth Ford Drive offers a variety of services in a warm, caring setting to address these needs. Here, expecting and new moms obtain quality nutrition education. They meet with staff with expert knowledge on breastfeeding. They take classes that teach them about healthy pregnancies, about healthy diets, and about how to make and offer their children yummy, healthy foods so their children develop healthy eating habits. They, their children, and even the children’s dads get free dental exams and get referred to healthcare specialists as needed.
In this time of out-of-control inflation, when so many folks struggle to feed their families, perhaps the most important WIC benefit is that families get healthy food for free. Enrolled families obtain free, nutrition-packed foods at their local grocers. They learn to shop wisely, so they can purchase more with the resources they have. Families also get vouchers to obtain everything from fresh cherries to newly picked beans at farmers’ markets and farm stands.
The 3,000 WIC moms and children we serve annually benefit in countless ways, including:
- Pregnant moms have a lower incidence of preeclampsia, a serious blood pressure condition that develops during pregnancy,
- Moms and children more easily access healthcare, improving their overall health,
- Families suffer less stress,
- Our WIC program reduces infant mortality and curtails childhood anemia,
- The health benefits children obtain by participating in WIC improves brain development, leading to long-lasting improvement in academic outcomes.
As alluded to at the beginning of this article, UCAN WIC is good for the local economy as well. Last year, families spent over two million WIC dollars at local grocers and supermarkets. Local farmers obtained almost $30,000 in WIC vouchers. UCAN WIC is a great investment in Douglas County’s vulnerable moms, young children, and local economy!
Though we serve thousands in this program, thousands more are likely eligible. Pregnant and post-natal moms and families with children under five years old who are already receiving OHP (Medicaid), SNAP, or TANF benefits automatically qualify. If you think you know someone who might qualify, have them give us a call at (541) 440-3516 or e-mail us at wicinfo@ucancap.org, and we’ll be happy to meet with them.
