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Report: Fewer Hoosiers Using WIC Benefits

USDA
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/16500105620

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, provides nutritional assistance and education to low-income mothers and children. Across the country, program participation is in steady decline.

According to the USDA’s economic research service, the number of monthly participants in the program fell 5-percent from 2013 to 2014, the largest decrease in the program’s 40-year history.

That decline is echoed in Indiana, which saw a nearly 11-percent decrease in participants between 2010 and 2014. That’s a little more than the national 10-percent drop over that same time span.

Indiana WIC Director Sarah Renner says that decrease can be attributed to a low birthrate and low unemployment.

“So if women are not having babies at the rate that they would have a year or two prior there would be less babies eligible to be served, which means over time there are fewer children in the population to be served,” Renner says.

The USDA notes low WIC participation can indicate a stronger economy, since eligibility is linked to income and poverty levels.

Renner says she doubts the decrease will affect funding for the program. As of 2014, 155,000 Hoosiers use the WIC program.

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