Alabama WIC program expands to offer fruit, vegetables to qualified applicants

About 400 more Dale county residents are eligible for an enhanced food program in the state than currently enrolled, according to officials.

Pam Newman of the Dale County Department of Public Health said the Alabama Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program has expanded this month to include bread, fruits and vegetables for pregnant, breastfeeding, postpartum women, infants and children up to age 5. The program requires participants to meet certain income guidelines.

The program already provided dairy products, infant formula and juices for mothers and children who qualified.

With the downturn of the economy, Newman said far more people may be eligible than they think.
“If there are children in the household and someone may have lost their job or not looked at the WIC qualifications, then this is a great program for assistance,” she said.

According to the state Health Department`s 2008 Annual Report online, the state WIC program served an average 134,822 patients per month in 2008 that included 32,694 women, 37,845 infants and 64,283 children.

The service amounted to $113 million in food, according to the report.

Newman said the program does not have county line restrictions, but that most residents should apply at their county`s health department.

The WIC vouchers can be used throughout Alabama.