Women, Infants, And Children (WIC Nutrition)

COVID-19:  Important WIC Update

COVID-19:  ¡Notificación Importante de WIC!

 

WIC is a supplemental nutrition program for pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants, and children under 5 years of age. WIC provides healthy foods at the right time to promote good growth and development.

Young Child

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program - Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Benton County WIC program provides the following services:

  • Monthly vouchers for specific nutritious foods
  • Nutrition and Physical activity education and counseling (individual and group classes)
  • Breast pumps (in specific circumstances)
  • Breastfeeding Education and support
  • Individual growth and health assessments
  • Summer farmer’s market coupons for fruits and vegetables
  • Referrals to other health programs like immunization, prenatal, and other social service programs

WIC provides services to

  • Pregnant women
  • Breastfeeding women with children under 12 months of age
  • Non-breastfeeding women with children under 6 months of age
  • Infants and children under 5 years of age
  • Father, grandparents, foster parents or other guardians may apply for WIC for their children

 

How WIC helps

  • Women on the WIC program have access to healthy foods, breastfeeding support, receive prenatal care earlier, and generally have healthier babies
  • WIC provides a unique set of services to help families give their children a healthy start
  • WIC helps support healthy pregnancies
  • Decrease the number of low birth weight infants
  • Helps prevent chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease
  • Infants born to WIC mothers weigh more at birth, grow and develop better
  • Children on WIC eat foods with more iron and vitamin C, visit their doctors more regularly and receive their shots on time

 

Eligibility

To qualify for WIC, you must:

  • Live in Oregon
  • Have a household income less than 185% of federal poverty guidelines (If you currently receive TANF, Food Stamps or the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), you are automatically eligible.) 
  • Have a nutritional need or risk
  • The duration for which you are eligible for WIC varies:
    • Pregnant women can get WIC throughout pregnancy
    • Breastfeeding women can get WIC for up to one year after delivery
    • Women who have just given birth but are not breastfeeding can get WIC until six months after delivery
    • Children are able to receive WIC until they are 5 and are evaluated every six months to see if they are still eligible
  • Do not have to be US citizen to get WIC services
     

WIC income guidelines

See Oregon WIC Program Income Guidelines for:

  • Income guidelines
  • Definition of “household” and “income”
  • What is included in your “income” for WIC eligibility