Amid WIC worries, AZ moms stepping up to help
Arizona health officials say funding for WIC benefits could run out on Nov. 15, but amid the uncertainty, some mothers in the Phoenix area are stepping up. FOX 10’s Kenzie Beach reports.
PHOENIX – As of Oct. 31, the federal government shutdown remains ongoing, and it’s still unclear when Arizona families who rely on SNAP benefits will see their next payment.
Even worse, funding for WIC—the program for Women, Infants, and Children—is also set to dry up soon.
By the numbers:
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, half of the infants born in the state rely on WIC, and funds can only support the program through Nov. 15.
Some Phoenix area mothers, however, are stepping up to help each other.
“It means being able to feed your kid. It means being able to give them the nutrients that they need. You don’t have to hear them cry and suffer anymore,” said Dayvie Geddes, a Mesa mom.
Local perspective:
Like many other moms, it’s a place Geddes has been before: not knowing where the next bottle will come from to feed her baby.
“Formula’s really expensive. So I actually ended up making some formula myself, and in the process of doing that, moms just kind of like, I have this. If you want to find somebody else to give it to,” Geddes said.
Dayvie was overwhelmed by support. She was able to pay it forward through social media, finding another mom that relies on her WIC. It was an emotional exchange, passing along extra cans of formula.
“She was kind of teary-eyed for the most part, you know, it’s just people really are in desperate need right now,” Geddes said. “To be completely honest with you, I get the struggle. As I always say, a fed baby is a happy baby.”
What they’re saying:
For now, WIC is open as Arizona WIC programs received three separate allocations of funds in October. If more funding isn’t approved, they will run out Nov. 15. Assistant Director of Public Health Prevention Services, Celia Nabor, wants families to know if funds come through, they’ll be seen without a delay.
“They load those E-WIC cards, which are that EBT cards and they can load them in a matter of seconds,” said Celia Nabor, assistant director of public health prevention services for the Arizona Department of Health Services. “So the process itself can happen very quickly once we get those funds.”
She also said counties have expressed interest, looking to use local funds to continue WIC in their communities.
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