Governor Laura Kelly signed a proclamation on July 31 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Kansas. Since its inception in 1974, the WIC program has provided Kansas families with access to healthy, nutritious foods to support their children’s development.

The WIC program provides assistance to nearly seven million families nationwide. According to the 2022 WIC Participant and Program Characteristics report, more than half of all WIC participants have incomes below 100 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Since 2010, WIC has supported over 1.4 million women, infants, and children in Kansas, with one in 30 individuals currently eligible for the program. Each month, WIC serves 48,000 individuals across 102 Kansas counties.

The WIC Program not only provides nutrition education and access to healthy foods, empowering families to make lifelong healthy eating and lifestyle choices, but it also addresses other crucial maternal and child health areas. This includes promoting breastfeeding as the best option for infant feeding and offering support to lactating parents and their infants. In addition, the program educates participants on the dangers of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, emphasizes the importance of childhood immunizations, and conducts lead poisoning screenings.

“WIC is critical to providing infants and children necessary resources,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “I am grateful for the positive impact the program has made on Kansas families through education, food access, and other support for the past 50 years. I look forward to the program’s continued success.”