Without the WIC program, Oak Harbor resident Kelly Atwood might run out or not be able to serve a lot of dairy products, fresh fruits or vegetables to her eight children.

“It really helps to receive the cheese, milk and eggs as well as the peanut butter that my kids all enjoy eating. The program has been a big help, especially when we had to supplement one of our children’s diet with baby formula when she was an infant because she was losing weight,” Atwood said.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, also known as the WIC program, has been providing nutritional foods to low-income families in Washington for 30 years. WIC is funded by the Department of Agriculture and is operated by the Department of Health.

By providing nutritious food, WIC helps families build healthy bodies.

According to the 2004 Annual Island County WIC Report, 2,336 infants and children under the age of 5 are served by WIC. Also served by the program are 999 pregnant, breast-feeding and postpartum women. And about half the infants born in Island County are served by WIC.

To qualify for WIC, a perspective client must be a Washington resident, meet income requirements, be pregnant, nursing or be a child under the age of 5 years.

Military families also make up part of the WIC caseload. Statewide, 10,991 women and children are on the program, according to the 2004 Annual Washington State Report.

Island County coordinator Dory Johnson said the farmer’s market program has made a significant impact on the WIC program.

On North Whidbey, there are two agencies that provide WIC service. One of the agencies is located on the corner of Regatta and First Street in Oak Harbor and the second is at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

Johnson said many WIC clients hear about the program through their friends or neighbors, although information is available to the public at doctor’s offices and in libraries in Island County.

Oak Harbor resident and mother of two children, Lindsey Todd, commented on her experience with the WIC program as a military dependent.

“I have been on WIC for four-and-a-half years and it has helped tremendously,” Todd said. “The Oak Harbor staff are always there to help me when I have questions and extra information is also available if I need it. Specifically, the baby formula that WIC provides has helped me out a lot.”

As of 2005, WIC has been extended into Washington farmers markets all across the state. This is known as the Farmers Market Nutrition Program. In 2004, the program only had enough funding to provide for some of Washington’s WIC clients. Today, the program has reached about a third of the caseload of WIC clients in Island County.

Those who are eligible for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program are those who are already served by the WIC program. Eligible families receive $20 per person, not to exceed $40 per family, to be used at the Farmers Market to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, includin