Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal program that provides food to low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, and infants and children until the age of five. The program provides nutrition education, supplemental foods, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health care. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds the WIC Program.
What are the benefits of the WIC Program?
The WIC Program promotes healthy habits and healthy families.
- Breastfeed your baby
- Eat more fiber
- Lower the fat
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
- Eat more whole grains
- Drink less juice and sweetened beverages
- Make family meals matter
To help participants practice these habits, WIC provides basic nutritious foods that are rich in protein, iron, calcium, fiber and vitamins.
What food is available through WIC?
Women and children (one to five years of age) participating in WIC receive a eWIC card to use at authorized retail grocery stores and pharmacies for a variety of healthy foods. The choices may include whole-grain cereal and bread, brown rice, whole-wheat and soft-corn tortillas; milk; cheese or tofu; eggs; peanut butter; dried or canned beans, peas or lentils; fruit or vegetable juices; and organic fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen or canned). Women who exclusively breastfeed their babies receive larger quantities of foods as well as canned tuna or salmon.
All women are encouraged to provide their infant with the best nutrition possible by breastfeeding. Breastfeeding education is given to all pregnant women so they can make informed decisions about infant feeding. Additional support is provided by the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors before and after delivery.
Who is eligible for WIC?
- Pregnant women
- Postpartum women who have had a baby in the past six months or who are breastfeeding an infant less than 12 months of age
- Infants and children under 5 years of age
- Live in North Carolina
- Meet gross annual income that cannot exceed 185% of the poverty level – all Medicaid, SNAP and Work First recipients meet WIC income eligibility
- Be at nutritional risk – a nutritionist or other health professional makes the nutritional risk assessment at no cost to the participant
WIC Prescreening Tool – Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC):
Please click on the following link to determine if you are potentially eligible to receive WIC benefits: https://wic.fns.usda.gov/wps/pages/preScreenTool.xhtml
Referrals to the WIC Program:
Please click on the following link for the online referral site for applicants and/or providers: https://www.nutritionnc.com/wic/wic-referral.asp
Jones County WIC is now on FB! Like us at https://www.facebook.com/jonescountywic
This institution is an equal opportunity provider
The USDA Nondiscrimination Statement