Enrollment in WIC, which provides food assistance to pregnant women, new moms and young children, is rising. (Allison Dinner/AP)
By Tami Luhby, CNN Politics, November 12, 2023
Without a little aid from the federal government, Whitley Hasty would have a tougher time buying the fresh broccoli her toddler son loves to eat with ranch dressing.
Hasty receives WIC, the food assistance program for low-income women, infants and young children. It has helped her purchase milk, cheese, juice, eggs, fruits, vegetables and other staples for 3-year-old Leni – a benefit that has been even more vital in recent years as the price of groceries and other necessities has soared.
In addition, a WIC staffer encouraged her to breastfeed both Leni and her daughter, Emilia, 9, when they were infants, connecting Hasty with peer counseling for extra support. And the program set her up with a nutritionist, who provides her with healthy recipes that have broadened the variety of food the children eat.
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