Perhaps the greatest concern for a mother is how she is going to provide for her children – financially, emotionally, and physically. Many programs exist in the United States that help these women (and men), one of which is the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC).
Melissa Wilson, a mother of three, utilized the WIC program when she was faced with being a single mother. She had heard about the program from friends and family and decided to apply.
"My husband left me and took all the money out of the bank, leaving me with zero support," Wilson said, in an email interview in December 2008. "I was inexperienced and afraid to feed my children the wrong things."
Wilson said that both of her parents worked and that as a family, they had unhealthy eating habits. She wanted better for her children.
Many Helped by WIC
According to Ingrid Rosoff, the director of the WIC program in Larimer County, Colo., there are 4,197 single parents being served by WIC, as of 2008. In Colorado alone, the program currently serves 105,099 people. "WIC makes a difference in our participants' nutrition and health," she said in December of 2008, in an email interview. "They (parents) learn about healthy eating habits, exercise, and are able to get community referrals for housing, food, and day care."
Wilson said she had an excellent experience with the program and truly believes her children are healthier for being on WIC.
"I was thankful there was a place I could go for supplemental foods for my children and WIC gave me great nutrition information tailored for my sons' age groups," she said.
WIC provides education for families at every visit and Wilson said she never left without learning something new. WIC clients also have access to free registered dietitians as well. The National WIC Association is located in Washington D.C. Tae Chong, who works for the program, said that they are a non-profit advocacy organization.
"Our mission is to provide leadership in promoting quality nutrition services; advocating services for all eligible women, infants, and children, and assuring sound, responsive management for the Special Supplemental Nutrition program for WIC," Chong said in an email interview also in December of 2008.
The USDA report (The WIC Program, Background, Trends, and Issues), which was published in 2002, states that the program strives to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to the age of five. The program was established in 1972 and is now one of the central pieces of the nation's food and nutrition assistance program.
WIC is Different from Other Assistance Programs
"WIC is not a welfare program, which can sometimes scare people away from applying," Wilson said. "WIC is a supplemental food and nutrition program."
Wilson also stated that WIC differs from the food stamp program, now called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), in that it issues "food instruments," which are checks with healthy foods listed on them. This way, a set amount of funds is spent on whatever types of food the parents choose to purchase, which can result in the purchases of junk food instead of healthy foods, Wilson said.
WIC also strongly encourages breast feeding, and according to Wilson, has a support system in place for mothers who are having complications. For those mothers that are unable to breast feed, WIC helps by providing formula, usually a large expense.
"I like working for a program that has positive health outcomes," Rosoff said. "I feel we can really have an impact on our clients' nutrition and health."
Since eligibility can include those women in the prenatal stages, many women have used the program before they give birth to their child. WIC has seen positive outcomes in reduced rates of low birth weight, premature deliveries, and prenatal care, Rosoff said.
Wilson said that her three sons all graduated from the WIC program when they turned five. "I truly believe my children are healthier for being on WIC, the program helped me raise them the right way," she said.
WIC is among many other food assistance programs that are available. Eligibility requirements for WIC applicants consist of four different categories: categorical, residential, income, and nutrition risk. More information can be found on the National WIC Association web site.
