Health District gets unusual donation from grateful WIC recipients

WIC helped client get to a really good place

It’s unusual for a government agency or program to get an unsolicited donation, but that’s what happened when the Washoe County District Board of Health received a cash donation of $700 from two individuals, Michael and Dyana, in gratitude for services provided by WIC, the Supplemental Food and Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.

According to the couple WIC helped Dyana and her kids, especially when she went to college. “WIC helped her get where she is now, she's in a really good place as well as her children,” said Michael. “I hope this donation encourages others, and helps them remember how they got help when they get to a good place,” he added.

The USDA-funded WIC Program provides food subsidies, nutrition education, and referrals to other services for qualified families. Of the thousands that receive WIC food subsidies monthly from the Health District WIC Program, over 3,200 also receive clinic services including health assessments, breastfeeding consultations, specialized nutritional counseling and nutrition education classes.

“The great part about hearing from past clients that WIC helped them is knowing that they’ll tell others about the program too. Making people aware of the WIC Program can help our community reduce infant mortality and improve our nutritional health, said District Board of Health Chairwoman Kitty Jung. She also emphasized the significant medical cost savings that result from early detection and prevention of health problems among participants. “The USDA found that for every dollar spent on WIC, between $3.00 and $5.00 is saved in health care costs. That’s a significant savings for families and taxpayers.”

In 2014, Health District WIC clients received:

• 66,060 monthly WIC subsidies for nutritious foods;
• 10,465 health assessments (hemoglobin, weight, height or length, medical/nutritional interviews, individualized nutrition education);
• 245 breastfeeding consultations;
• 2,549 specialized nutrition counseling classes; and,
• 2,377 nutrition education classes.

In 2014 WIC also pumped $3.6 million or over $300,000 monthly into the local economy through purchases of WIC foods at approved grocery stores and vendors.

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