WIC Benefits Only Work If Participants Use Them

As with any assistance program, WIC benefits are only helpful if you actually use them.

WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, a federally funded program which provides nutritious foods, health screening, nutrition counseling and referrals to eligible pregnant women, postpartum women, breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age five.

In Garrett County, WIC serves over 500 families, which includes about 1,300 women and children under the age of 5. In addition to providing nutritional supplemental foods, WIC provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals as needed.

Historically WIC has offered fruits and vegetable benefits to participants to try to improve the vitamin A and C levels in their diet. In fact, eating fruits and vegetables provides many health benefits – people who eat more vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases and of maintaining a healthy weight. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body.

“Several years ago we discovered the specific vouchers for fresh, canned, or frozen fruits and vegetables weren’t being redeemed,” said Bass. “We did a special initiative and saw an increase in usage. However, the voucher system switched to an electronic system in 2017, and we have again seen a decline in usage of those benefits.”

“Using the MyGarrettCounty digital platform to evaluate distribution and usage of benefits, we have noted that about 75% of benefits for fruits and vegetables are being used,” said Bass. “Since we started using the MyGarrettCounty’s tracking features, it’s much easier to see the trends. We want to ensure families use the remaining 25% of benefits.”

Garrett County WIC has again launched a specific initiative to try to increase usage. It includes several components, including reviewing usage with individual families, and providing information on benefits of all forms of fruits and vegetables – fresh, canned and frozen – as a general nutritional education topic for all WIC participants.

The WIC staff is also planning to provide guidance on use – choosing the most economic form and providing recipes and ideas on expanding a child’s acceptance of fruits and vegetables. WIC continues to distribute coupons for the Maryland Department of Agriculture Farmer’s Market Coupon Initiative which can be spent at farmers’ market locations across Maryland, promoting the use of local sources during peak seasonal availability.

Contact the local office WIC at the Garrett County Health Department at 301-334-7710 or 301-895-3111 for more information or to schedule an appointment. WIC maintains clinic locations in Oakland and Grantsville.

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department