The U.S. Department of Agriculture invested $53 million in grants toward the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC.
The investment will make WIC more accessible to eligible mothers and young children and improve the service they receive, according to an Oct. 19 news release.
"WIC is an incredibly powerful public health program, with strong, proven benefits for participants, so 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," said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service awarded the following grants to improve program outreach and participant experience:
- $20 million to the Food Research & Action Center for innovative outreach to existing and potential WIC participants from the Community Innovation and Outreach Cooperative Agreement.
- More than $23 million to 66 WIC state agencies to improve technology and service delivery.
- About $10 million to 19 WIC state agencies to improve the shopping experience through modernizing in-store shopping.