FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Natalie Moran
Email: [email protected]
On Wednesday, February 10, the National WIC Association released the inaugural State of WIC report on the WIC Hub, a centralized collection of resources covering a wide range of WIC-related topics. The report—supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation—is a unified resource for WIC providers, administrators, and researchers to showcase the landscape of WIC services and emerging WIC program priorities throughout 2020, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rev. Douglas Greenaway, President & CEO of the National WIC Association (NWA), issued the following statement in response:
“2020 was an inflection point in WIC services, as providers adapted rapidly to roll out remote or modified services in the midst of a global public health emergency. The experience of WIC providers throughout 2020 is a strong testament to the need for long-delayed program reforms that will embrace telehealth and online shopping, enhance access to nutritious foods, integrate services with medical providers, and more effectively leverage WIC’s proven nutrition services to address the nation’s public health challenges and systemic racial disparities.
“This inaugural State of WIC report lifts up the voices of WIC providers and stakeholders while outlining concrete steps to advance a modern clinic and shopping experience for WIC families. With the new Biden-Harris Administration’s proposed $3 billion investment in WIC services through the American Rescue Plan, there is a renewed focus on bolstering WIC participation and building a healthier start for all children in the United States. Policymakers can draw on the lessons from 2020 and innovations driven at the state level to advance positive WIC policy in 2021.
“We are grateful to the Kellogg Foundation for their support of this report and their recognition of WIC’s crucial role in promoting equity and health successes. We hope that these recommendations will provide greater insight for WIC staff, researchers, and participants about our achievable vision for WIC’s future.”
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work, and life.
The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special attention is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.