WIC Program Helps Provide Nutrition and Assistance to Many in Great Falls

The WIC Program is marking its 50th anniversary this year. It was established in January 1974 in Pineville, KY, and by the end of the year, there were 45 WIC program states. The WIC Program is a part of the Child Nutrition Act under the USDA, making it one of the largest nutrition programs for the federal government. Cascade County has between 1100 and 1200 clients per month according to Mattie Paddock, the program manager for WIC. They are in the City-County Health Department building and are available five days a week. WIC works hand in hand with several other programs including a farmers market program that runs from June to September. “Vendors have to be trained by our farmers market people within our little agency here and sign a contract that goes to the State Office,” explained Mattie. “The state looks through it and then the state says yes you qualify to be a farmers market vendor. They also have those coupons for seniors.” Another program offered is the breastfeeding peer counseling program which is designed to support pregnant, prenatal, and postnatal mothers who plan to breastfeed. “We support them with their goals and the prenatal period,” explained breastfeeding peer counselor Marci Wolff. “We have in office support where moms can focus on latching their babies. They can come in and do that at any time for as long as they need to. It's a free service. I also connect with them through phone calls, texting, we do after hours and weekend support to answer questions and concerns that moms might have. It's really helpful because moms don't always know if they're doing it right, especially first-time moms. We try and give them tailored education and support. We have a breastfeeding expert here and lots of our staff are trained in breastfeeding support so they can also support moms during their ongoing nutrition appointments with WIC.” The breastfeeding peer counseling program also tries to set clients up with breast pumps if they need them, so they have a working breast pump if they're going to go back to school or work. They provide breast pump education including how to use the pumps and how to store their milk. Education on the federal laws that support breastfeeding is also available. A breastfeeding spot will be available at the fair in August. This is a place where moms can go and have a private place in the family living center where moms can go to breastfeed. “We're thankful Breastfeeding is protected pretty much everywhere in Montana and Cascade County,” replied Marci. “We also have The Lactation Lounge which is a new breastfeeding mom meetup that meets at the City-County Health Department the first three Fridays of every month. It’s a casual friendly group of breastfeeding moms.” For more information or assistance with any of these programs, please call the City County Health Department at (406) 454-6950 or the WIC direct line at (406) 454-6953.

WIC Program Helps Provide Nutrition and Assistance to Many in Great Falls

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