WIC Program

WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. It is commonly referred to as the WIC Program. County health departments, community and rural health centers, and community action agencies provide WIC Program services

Who is WIC For?

  • Children up to 5 years of age
  • Infants
  • Pregnant women
  • Breastfeeding women who have had a baby in the last 12 months
  • Women who have had a baby in the last 6 months

What Benefits Does WIC Provide?

Nutritious Foods

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 to eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, as well as infants and children. These foods are rich in protein, iron, calcium, fiber and vitamins.

Participants use an electronic benefit transfer system (eWIC) to access food benefits and cash-value vouchers (for fruits and vegetables) at authorized retail grocery stores and pharmacies. Participants are issued a NC eWIC card at their initial visit to a local WIC clinic. In some cases, special formulas are distributed directly to the participant from the WIC local agency.

Foods for Infants (Birth-12 Months)

The Program strongly encourages and provides support for breastfeeding. It recognizes that breastfeeding is the best method of infant feeding and nurturing. However, formula-fed infants receive the WIC contract standard milk- and soy-based iron-fortified infant formula for the first year of life. Beginning at six months of age, infants may also receive iron-fortified infant cereal, and infant fruits and vegetables. Infants who are fully breastfed also receive infant meats.

In some cases, infants may require a formula other than the WIC contract standard milk- or soy-based formulas. Before a WIC agency can issue any formula other than the contract standard milk- or soy-based formula, the participant must obtain a completed prescription from a physician or health care provider. However, please note that the only standard milk- or soy-based formulas provided by the NC WIC Program are those on the current contract; other standard brands are not provided. See the WIC Medical Documentation (PDF, 199 KB).

Foods

  • Mother’s Breastmilk
  • Infant Formula
  • Infant Cereal
  • Infant Fruits and Vegetables
  • Infant Meats (for fully breastfed infants only)

Foods for Women and Children

Women and children (one to five years of age) participating in WIC receive food instruments and cash-value vouchers 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 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. Special formulas or nutritional supplements are also available to women and children participants with certain medical conditions. Before a WIC agency can issue any formula or nutritional supplement, the participant must obtain a prescription from a physician or health care provider. See the WIC Medical Documentation (PDF, 199 KB).

Foods

  • Milk
  • Cereal
  • Whole-grain Bread, Brown Rice, Whole-wheat and Soft-corn Tortillas
  • Fruits and Vegetables
  • Juice
  • Cheese
  • Tofu
  • Soy-Based Beverage
  • Dried or Canned Beans, Peas and Lentils
  • Peanut Butter
  • Eggs

Additional Foods for Women Who Exclusively Breastfeed

  • Larger quantities of the foods listed above
  • Chunk-light tuna or salmon

Nutrition Education

Nutrition education is a major benefit of the Program and is provided to all adults and, whenever possible, to children directly. The goals of nutrition education are:

  • To teach about the relationship between nutrition, physical activity and good health.
  • To improve the eating and physical activity habits as they relate to the participant’s nutritional risk.
  • To promote optimal use of the WIC Program’s supplemental foods, and other nutritious foods.
  • To provide nutrition education that is appropriate to an individual’s age, educational background, household situation, language, cultural and ethnic preferences, and nutritional needs.

Referrals for Health Care

WIC serves as an adjunct to the health care system. WIC enjoys a reciprocal relationship with the health care community, receiving referrals from private and public health care providers and providing referrals as needed for health and social services. Referrals from WIC include immunizations and substance abuse counseling and treatment. WIC encourages persons already receiving medical services to remain under their physicians’ care. It also encourages individuals not receiving medical care to seek and maintain appropriate care.

Breastfeeding Promotion and Support

Breastfeeding promotion and support is an integral part of the WIC Program. WIC strives to increase the initiation, duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding among women enrolled in the Program. All WIC agencies have trained personnel ready to assist mothers in making informed decisions about their infant feeding choice. WIC also instructs mothers in the basics of breastfeeding. Many WIC agencies have breastfeeding peer counselor support programs that provide mother-to-mother counseling. In addition, all local WIC agencies provide breastfeeding aids such as manual and electric breast pumps. WIC offers a food package for women who exclusively breastfeed their babies. This food package adds tuna or salmon in cans or pouches, as well as additional amounts of whole grains, cereal, milk, cheese, juice, peanut butter, beans, peas and lentils.

Eligibility

Eligibility Overview

WIC is available to pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants and children up to age five. To participate, these persons must:

  • Live in North Carolina.
  • Have a family income less than 185% of the U.S. Poverty Income Guidelines. A person receiving Medicaid, Work First Families Assistance (TANF), or assistance from the NC Food and Nutrition Services automatically meets the income eligibility requirement.
  • Be at nutritional risk. A nutritionist or other health professional makes the nutritional risk assessment at no cost to the participant, usually at the local WIC office.

WIC Prescreening Tool

Check the WIC Prescreening Tool to find out if you might be eligible for WIC benefits.

WIC Income Guidelines

Once the size and gross income of the economic unit (or household) have been determined and documented, staff use the poverty income guidelines included in the chart below to determine income eligibility. The guidelines are published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

How to Apply

Where to Apply? Who to Contact?

To apply for the WIC Program please contact the office of the local WIC agency that serves the residents of the county in which you live, or fill out the WIC Referral Form.

When you go to apply for WIC, please remember to bring:

  1. Proof of identification (for all individuals applying for WIC)
  2. Proof of income (for all household members with income)
  3. Proof of residence (where you live)

Examples of what you will need to bring:

  • Identification: (Only one is needed) – Valid driver’s license, Social Security card, current work/school ID, current Medicaid card, current military ID, birth certificate, immunization record, and for infants: hospital crib card, ID bracelet or mother’s verification of facts form.
  • Residence (where you live): (Only one is needed) – Current utility bill, valid driver’s license, current Medicaid card (or presumptive eligibility form), bank statement, current rental or mortgage receipts, Division of Motor Vehicle ID card.
  • Income: Current paycheck stubs, if self-employed your recent tax return or history of earnings for the past twelve months, current Medicaid card, a letter of certification for the NC Food and Nutrition Services, a letter from your employer stating gross income and frequency of pay, unemployment letter/notice.

To qualify for WIC, applicants must be both income eligible and have an identified medical/nutritional risk factor. These criteria will be assessed when you apply for WIC at your local WIC office.

With some exceptions, each person applying for WIC must be physically present at the time of application at the local WIC office.

WIC Makes a Difference

WIC Makes a Difference

WIC provides quality, cost-effective care to thousands of families across North Carolina. Evidence demonstrates that women who participate in WIC have improved pregnancy outcomes, resulting in healthier babies. There are numerous benefits to women, infants and children who participate in WIC. Studies show that:

  • WIC reduces infant mortality. WIC connects pregnant women to prenatal care, provides nutritious foods and encourages health-promoting behaviors. These factors are linked to positive birth outcomes (USDA, 2012).
  • WIC saves public health care dollars. Women who participate in WIC are less likely to have pre-term or low-birth weight babies, contributing to healthier babies and reduced medical costs (Institute of Medicine, 2006).
  • WIC improves children’s health. Children who participate in WIC are more likely to receive regular preventive health services and are better immunized than other low-income children who do not participate in WIC (USDA, 2012).
  • WIC improves infant feeding practices and diet quality. WIC promotes and supports breastfeeding as the optimal infant feeding choice. In addition, revisions to the WIC Food Package have resulted in increased intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy among WIC participants (USDA, 2012; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2015).
  • WIC supports cognitive development. Research shows that WIC services can mitigate the harmful effects of poor nutrition during critical periods of growth and development, leading to lifelong cognitive gains (USDA, 2012).
  • WIC enhances community food environments. Revisions to the WIC Food Package, and thus changes in the foods available at WIC-authorized stores, have increased the availability of healthy foods for all individuals living in low-income communities (USDA, 2015).

History of WIC

When Did WIC Begin Nationally?

In the late 1960s, during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, the federal government focused a great deal of attention on helping low-income Americans.

The 1967 National Nutrition Survey revealed that many lower income children suffered from anemia and inadequate growth. These conditions can adversely affect brain size and cognitive ability. The study showed that children got off to a poor start both physically and mentally because they didn’t have enough to eat or they didn’t eat the right foods. Some children also suffered because mothers did not get adequate nutrition during their pregnancies.

In 1972, Congress passed a bill sponsored by Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (D.Minn.) to create the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Congress funded the program for two years and put the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in charge of it.

When Did WIC Come to NC?

The first WIC offices in North Carolina opened their doors in 1974. The offices were located in Guilford County, Johnston County, Mecklenburg County, Orange County, Forsyth County, and Warren County.