The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded nearly $53 million to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
The investment has been made through three grants funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a news release said. The effort will help “WIC reach more eligible mothers and young children and improve the service they receive.”
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service awarded $20 million to the Food Research and Action Center “for innovative outreach to existing and potential WIC participants,” [more than] “$23 million to 66 WIC state agencies to improve technology and service delivery in WIC” and approximately “$10 million in grants to 19 WIC state agencies to improve the shopping experience,” the release said.
“WIC is an incredibly powerful public health program, with strong, proven benefits for participants," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the release. "We’ve got to do all we can to connect eligible mothers, infants and children to the program and provide them with a positive, meaningful experience. These grants build on the USDA’s extensive efforts to strengthen the WIC program, make it easier and more convenient for participants and use data and feedback from stakeholders to fulfill our commitment to serve them well.”
Fewer than three out of five people who are eligible for WIC are enrolled, the release said. Among infants, participation rates are high, but participation drops as children get older.
“Participation in WIC is key to improving nutrition security and advancing equity for underserved groups, including people of color, tribal populations, immigrants, and rural communities,” the release said. “WIC has a long history of improving health outcomes for children as well as longer-term cognitive development and academic achievement.”
