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WIC’s Fruit And Veggie Allowance Increase Is Now Permanent. Why That Matters In LA
Monthly WIC benefits for whole grains, dairy, dried beans, peanut butter, produce and more come loaded onto a debit-like card. We've obscured this participant's number for privacy.
(
Mariana Dale and Alborz Kamalizad
/
LAist
)
Topline:
The federally-funded Women, Infants, Children (WIC) program, which supplements food budgets for some 280,000 families in L.A. County, made COIV-19 era increases to fruit and veggie allowances permanent last week. It also expanded food options to include whole wheat pita, naan quinoa and other more culturally diverse options.
The backstory: The $26 monthly WIC fruit and vegetable voucher for children under 5 will be made permanent under the newly adopted federal rules. That’s more than double the $9 a month for children that was allowed before 2021.
The fruit and vegetable monthly allowance was increased considerably as a response to COVID-19 and local WIC programs worried the allowance would go back down again.
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Why it matters: Shannon Whaley, WIC Director of Research and Evaluation for the Public Health Foundation Enterprise, said the increased allowance has had a “huge impact on the local economy in addition to the increased food security for families with low-incomes.”
Whaley also said that her agency has seen a 10% bump in food secure families in L.A. County since the vouchers were increased, from about 45% food secure in 2021 to about 55% this year.
How to apply for WIC: You can text APPLY to 91997
Or apply online
here
.
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We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
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