North Carolina’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, is operating fully following the government shutdown.
WIC focuses on pregnant people and babies until their fifth birthday. The federal program provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and healthy supplemental foods.
During the shutdown, as SNAP benefits were debated in Washington, many WIC recipients became confused and stopped showing up for their appointments.
Guilford County Division of Public Health Nutrition Program Director Erin Cashwell says there’s been no interruption of service.
"Please attend your appointments," says Cashwell. "You can use your benefits at the store. We just really want that message to get out to families, because we know that it's been an uncertain time and a stressful time, and so we want to reassure families that WIC is here to support them."
WIC Program services and appointments are available at the Guilford Public Health’s two Greensboro locations, and more than a dozen offices across the Piedmont.