MILWAUKEE — The Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program, also known as WIC, is there to safeguard the health of low-income pregnant, post-partum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age five.
WIC was the topic of conversation on Monday as the Hunger Task Force hosted a roundtable discussion that included representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture, elected officials, and moms who benefit from the WIC program.
Maya Youngblood is a young mother who benefits from the program, "It helped me a lot just to get the needs for my baby and also for me because I breastfeed."
Earlier this year, Hunger Task Force was one of 36 national organizations (and the only one in Wisconsin) selected to receive a $220,000 grant.
"The WIC grant is coming from a federal group called the Food Research and Action Center and it's intended for us to spend on outreach activities with food pantries in not just urban Milwaukee, but rural parts of the state of Wisconsin," said Sherrie Tussler, CEO of Hunger Task Force.
According to USDA officials, over 40% of the state utilizes the WIC program, and about 65% of Milwaukee children aged one to five benefit from the program, so this grant will definitely help food pantries like Ascension Ebenezer Health Resource Center run by nurse Julia Means.
"It will definitely help food pantries like mine. So we will be able to direct moms to where they can get WIC and will also help us in serving moms that are on WIC," said Means.
As a grandmother and great-grandmother, Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen More champions WIC and says after the Labor Day break in D.C., she plans to fight against proposed cuts to the farm bill.
"There's an 800 million dollars cut in the fruits and vegetable category for the Woman, Infant, and Children so-called WIC program, and we were here today hearing moms talk about the importance of the fruit and vegetable component," said Moore.
It's an even greater reason to help connect pregnant women and nursing moms to the important benefits that will help their children develop into healthy toddlers and young children, ready to learn, grow, and play.
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