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The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC)

Funding: WIC should continue to be funded at a level that allows all eligible applicants to participate in the program (Hunger Report, Page 65)
WIC is the third largest of the federal food assistance programs behind Food Stamps and School Lunch, and now serves more than 8 million women, infants, and children from low-income families, including almost half of all infants and approximately a quarter of U.S. children between the ages of 1 and 4….Every woman who gives birth to a child should receive information about WIC and help in determining whether she and her family qualify (Hunger Report 2006, Page 44)
WIC participation virtually guarantees the child won't be stunted developmentally during critical years when good nutrition is essential….When the child starts school, the federal breakfast and lunch programs could make the crucial difference in whether this boy or girl has a fighting chance to rise out of poverty later in life. Eating breakfast and lunch raises children's academic performance and reduces behavioral problems, and together these meals provide half the nutrients children need to grow up healthy…the child nutrition programs provide a vital part of their food security (Hunger Report 2006, Page 43) Cross Reference: School Breakfast Program, School Lunch Program, Food Security
FPWG Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture sign-on letter: "…we urge you to:

1. Support the President's proposal for $5.5 billion for WIC...

2. Reject the Administration's proposal to cap grants for nutrition services in WIC at 25 percent of the total grant to the states…

3. Provide $140 million to maintain mandatory USDA commodity purchases with an additional $60 million for administrative support for TEFAP, The Emergency Food Assistant Program.

4. Provide $136.3 million to maintain CSFP, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program…

5. Support funding for the WIC Farmers' Market Program at $20 million and the Seniors Farmers' Program at $15 million…

We also urge you to expand the "Lugar Summer Food Pilot Program" (May 2005, FPWG Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture sign-on letter, BFW Sign-On Letters 2001-Present) Cross Reference: National Nutrition Programs

Bread for the World efforts have been especially important in assuring steady expansion through good economic times and bad of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)….Bread for the World's goal has been to make WIC an entitlement program (Hunger Report 2004: Side Bar: Page 108).
As more women are encouraged to work, WIC approaches to family budget and menu planning may need to be updated to include more practical solutions for busy mothers (Hunger Report 2004, Page 72).
To make dramatic progress toward reducing food insecurity…Instead food stamps benefits must be increased; WIC must be funded as an entitlement program; eligibility restrictions that still remain from the 1996 welfare reform must be eliminated (some were eliminated in the 2002 Farm Bill); and federal summer food programs for children must be substantially expanded (Hunger Report 2004: Side Bar: Page 9. Cross Reference: Food Stamps, Food Insecurity and Summer Food Programs for Children
We urge you to increase funding for WIC for Fiscal Year 2005 to $5.141 billion to ensure that our nation's most vulnerable women, infants and children continue to receive the nutrition, breastfeeding and health care benefits WIC provides" (June 1, 2004, BFW Sign-On Letters 2001-Present) Cross Reference: Health Care, Education
In a letter to Hon. Henry Bonilla, the Chair of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee: "…WIC funding should be increased by $214 million to $4.248 billion…We urge you to heed the President's call and commit to funding WIC at $4.248 billion for Fiscal year 2002" (June 5, 2001, BFW Sign-On Letters 2001-Present)
WIC should be made an entitlement, with outreach to all eligible (Hunger Report 2000, Page 40).

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