WIC - Your connection to free good food for you and your family of little ones
Cynthia Rojas, Maricelo Elias and Janna Hughit are your local WIC team, ensuring women infants and children are getting good nutrition. Their office is 419 E. 7th St., The Dalles. Give them a call. The team is a lifesaver for folks who are working hard but having to choose between paying the bills and buying groceries.
By Tom Peterson
Food can do powerful things.
It powers that supercomputer running your body.
It can prolong your life. It can turn you from sad or angry to happy.
And it can change lives forever, especially for pregnant or nursing mothers and children growing and learning.
That is why the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) has been investing in families with nutritionally balanced meals since 1972.
And good news, it is simple to access in Wasco, Sherman and Gilliam counties with a simple phone call.
It is for folks who are doing their best but are still not making ends meet.
So, if you're having to choose between paying bills and buying groceries, this could be a huge relief for you and your family.
WIC provides healthy foods, health and growth screenings, breastfeeding support, nutrition education and community health referrals for needs such as dental care.
It’s a targeted program that provides a nutritional balance to make children and adults thrive when they need it most.
And it is amazing what it can do for the overall well-being of a family.
“I am a working mom of one hungry baby with a limited income and a partner with physical disability and times have been tough for us trying to support a happy healthy home…, said a local recipient of the program in an email on Nov. 3.
“Food is very important to my family as it provides comfort, healing, family time with enjoying meals and cooking yummy meals together. WIC… has helped to support my family financially with offsetting the cost to purchase necessary groceries while I was pregnant and after my baby was born… This program has taken some of the financial burden of trying to feed a growing baby and myself while I nurse.
The increase in fruits and veggie limit and the Farmers Market Checks have been greatly appreciated as it has allowed me to purchase fresh fruits and veggies to turn into homemade baby food and healthy meals for myself.”
… WIC has provided for us with decreasing our stress of being able to afford enough food for our growing family…”
Maricela Elias, Janna Hughit and Cynthia Rojas manage the program in our three-county area, and they are not ‘scary’. Rather helpful actually. WIC staff are skilled in providing participant-centered counseling resulting in conversations with families versus yes or no questions and answers. Maricela, Janna, and Cynthia work with families to balance the program requirements with real-life situations.
“We have families and children and we understand what moms go through,” said Maricela, who is the Program Coordinator. “We have great staff, we are caring and compassionate, and we strive to make WIC very easy to understand and use.”
And there’s no judgment, simply help where people need it, said Hughitt, a WIC Certifier.
Maricela said eliminating food insecurities can greatly improve the well-being of a mother as well as her new or unborn child, and for children, it leads to improvement in school with better behavior and retention of information.
How it Works
Simply call the WIC office at 541-506 -2610 and schedule a phone appointment to see if your family qualifies.
Applicants who are interested must meet four criteria to be eligible for WIC:
Live in Oregon
Be a pregnant, postpartum or breastfeeding woman, an infant or a child under 5 years old
Have a household income less than 185% of the federal poverty limit. As an example, a family of 4 can have a monthly income of $4,086. (Individuals who can prove eligibility for Oregon Health Plan/TANF,SNAP/Food Stamps or FDPIR are automatically income eligible for WIC)
Have a nutritional need or risk
Depending on your needs, you may receive help on breastfeeding or a well-designed nutritional plan, perhaps some assistance from a dental hygienist.
Participants are issued eWIC credit cards to purchase USDA-approved foods at local grocery stores. They have streamlined the process, making it easier to shop without hiccups at the checkout. They even have an App for your phone to ensure what you’re purchasing is an approved food for the card before you get to the checkout.
They’ve made it much simpler than the vouchers used in the past, said Cynthia, Front Office Lead.
It is making a huge difference for this mother of 2.
“I am very thankful to have WIC,” she said in an email. “The appointments are very helpful; the ladies guide me to make sure that my girls are being taken care of properly with nutrition facts. Not to mention the ladies are very sweet! Having WIC is a blessing, having the opportunity to have milk provided and cereal and other yummy foods that are healthy for my kids is a blessing.”
