Sue Hansen has been helping families for 20 years at the Wisconsin Women, Infant, and Children’s program in Shawano County.
WIC is a federally funded program through the United States Department of Agriculture that helps low-income families with food and nutrition education.
“People don’t realize the amount of people who use the WIC program,” said Hansen, who is the clinic outreach specialist. “You can get on WIC any time.”
The program began in 1969, coming to Shawano County in 1971. The number of people served has grown from 75 the first year to more than 850 now.
“It touches so many people past and present,” Hansen said.
Food is provided to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, along with infants and children until the age of 5 to supplement to their diet.
“I look into the faces of the people that it affects every day,” Hansen said. “I see the strife, the pain, the turmoil that our young families are facing due to lack of jobs to fully provide for their family.”
The food options have changed over the years. The program began with milk and cheese but now also includes fruit, vegetables, juice, cereal, breads, infant formula and baby food.
Statistics show the additions have meant pregnant mothers deliver more full-term babies so fewer tax dollars are spent on infants born prematurely.
“The most crucial part of their life is at the beginning,” Hansen said.
She said WIC helps parents — moms and dads — who don’t have the support from extended families that they used to have. The economy has changed the extent of family support.
“We take on many hats,” Hansen said. “We are another resource and second medical home, as well as a coach for mothers and parents raising children. We’re the extra mom they need. We’re trying to equip them with not only nutritious foods they need, but also become mentors.”
Hansen is passionate about helping those in need.
“I’ve made a commitment to come up with and to get resources for our WIC participants,” Hansen said. “We have community resources that are provided by local churches.”
Zion Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church and Goodwill, along with other churches and organizations, help with resources that the families need for daily living.
“What makes our program work is the love, concern, compassion and dedication that we give to our WIC participants,” Hansen said.
WIC not only gets nutritional foods to families, it also helps food producers.
All farm producers of grain, fruit, vegetables and dairy fund the WIC program. For example, local dairy farmers pay the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and the Federal Milk Marketing Board a portion of their income to fund WIC.
The cycle goes from the producers to manufacturers to stores to consumers and back to the producers. In 2012, grocery stores in Shawano County grossed $694,000 in sales from WIC participants.
WIC is especially important for people whose Food Share/Quest Card benefits have recently been cut, Hansen said. The federal poverty limit determines eligibility, but residents can call or check with the WIC office at the Shawano County Courthouse from Monday through Friday to see if they are eligible.
The WIC office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and beginning in January will be open late on the second Wednesday of the month. For more information, call 715-526-2822.
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