The Syracuse WIC Experience

Conscious of the folded checks in my pocket, I pushed my shopping cart toward checkout. I selected a line that didn’t seem too long and began to wait my turn. As I stood there, trying to keep my son from climbing out of the cart, I thought about which items belonged to which check. When it was time to place my purchases on the conveyor belt, I carefully sorted them into groups.

Checks issued by the Special Supplemental Food Program for Woman, Infants and Children (WIC) only cover certain items. The foods covered by WIC checks are to be rung up separately. I wanted to make sure that the time for me to use the checks went as smoothly as possible.

Swaths of black conveyor belt separated the content of the cart into three piles: the check for the milk and eggs, the check for the peanut butter and cereal, and the pile containing the week’s fresh produce, canned soup, as well as the discount Christmas cards and two-for-one wrapping paper.

I contemplated the idea of the cashier ringing up three separate orders. As I stopped my son from grabbing a magazine off the stand, I noticed two people standing in line behind me. I hadn’t even pulled the large, light pink checks from my back pocket, and I already felt as though people were looking at me.

The cashier looked at me. Smiled. “How are you today?” Reached for the first item.

Now. I had to tell her about the WIC checks, and that they would all need to be rung up separately. Eight dollars worth of WIC products and there would be three transactions. I opened my mouth. My face heated. The people behind me seemed to be staring.

“I’m fine.”

It was my first opportunity to use my WIC checks, and I wimped out.

Enrolling in WIC is a relatively easy process. A phone call to the WIC office on Onondaga Street is all it takes to get started. Before I even went in, a friendly voice asked me a few simple questions about my situation. Eligibility is determined over the phone; if someone meets the income requirements, or is on Medicaid, he or she is accepted.

With wait time a fraction of what it was a few years ago, and WIC clinics located in LaFayette, Camillus, East Syracuse and the north area, it seems as though many of those eligible for WIC are taking advantage of this program. Yet the Syracuse Hunger Project, a comprehensive study of hunger in Syracuse, reports 56 percent of the 13,792 eligible women, infants and children are not enrolled in the program.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducts ongoing studies into the reasons people don’t sign up for WIC. In my case, the stigma associated with receiving government assistance was a deterrent.

The decision to enroll my son, Gavin, in WIC was not an easy one for me. I was raised in a family that didn’t use food stamps, even when we could have, and in general did not accept government assistance. My family’s only concession was to sign my siblings and I up for reduced school lunch. Somehow my stay-at-home mom stretched the food dollars and still managed to feed us nutritious meals.

But I realized that, with both my husband and I attending graduate school, we could use a little help. So I decided to look into the program.

The USDA recognizes that stigma is not the only reason enrollment in WIC is not preferred.

“Parents of a child who is eligible for WIC choose not to enroll the child in the program because they perceive that theâÂ?¦time involved in applying for the program, picking up the food vouchers, and attending nutrition education sessions exceed the program’s benefits,” states the USDA’s report “WIC and the Nutrient Intake of Children.”

After receiving approval over the phone, I made an appointment to go in and receive the food checks and sign the paperwork. The waiting room was full of women and children (and a few men) when I arrived. Appointments for new entrants to the program are all made on one day of the week. I was given a questionnaire about Gavin, and his eating habits, to complete as I waited.

After a wait of an hour and a half, a worker brought me into a cubicle outfitted with a computer and desk. Gavin was weighed and his finger pricked for a blood sample. The worker explained the paperwork and I signed. A dietician counseled me about proper nutrition. The checks were given to me and I made an appointment to return in three months to pick up more checks. The whole visit lasted two hours.

Two hours is an eternity for a two-year-old. And it is a requirement to bring children over eight months into the office for the initial visit, and subsequent six-month reevaluations. While I won’t take Gavin with me to pick up my next three months’ worth of WIC checks, I already dread bringing him with me in six months for what I am sure will be another two-hour excursion.

The Syracuse Hunger Project also recorded a significant drop-off rate in WIC enrollment as infants turn one and are no longer eligible to receive baby formula.

One of the reasons for this drop-off is tied to an observation the USDA made about the effort involved. Sharon Tripolone, a worker at the Onondaga WIC Program, explained that infant benefits are worth about 110 dollars each month. Benefits for children are half that: 55 dollars.

“Some people feel that once that dollar figure drops, it’s not worth the trouble anymore,” Tripolone said.

The USDA also found that many eligible prospects are also on food stamps. Because they are already using food assistance, some people feel WIC is unnecessary.

Another complaint voiced by those in the study involves the availability of WIC foods at stores. While not usually an issue at large chains like P&C and Wegman’s, smaller, convenience-like stores sometimes run out of WIC items.

In Syracuse, there are many small neighborhood stores that accept WIC, in addition to the larger grocery stores. Most of the stores are well stocked with products. The trouble is figuring which foods are WIC-approved.

The federal government decides which foods are approved for WIC. States do, however, have the ability to choose some of the brands offered through the program. New York approves nearly 50 different brands for WIC.

Michelle Howell, whose 16-month-old son Daegan is enrolled in WIC, said that Peter’s Grocery is the only store she’s been in that clearly marks WIC items.

“Other than that,” Howell said, “I have to carry my brand list to make sure I don’t forget what I can have.”

There are other annoyances as well. Howell explained that when she uses her WIC checks at Wegman’s a manager is called over to complete the transaction.

“They’re very nice, very respectful,” she said, “but it’s kind of embarrassing, really.”

Because cashiers can handle the transactions at P&C, Howell said it is the easiest store to shop at, despite the convenience of the clearly marked products at Peter’s Grocery.

“At Peter’s they kind of talk down to me.”

Stigma, the amount of time spent, the drop in benefits after age one and the difficulty in identifying WIC items are all hurdles participants must overcome.

Even though there are reasons not to continue Daegan’s enrollment, Howell insisted that overall the program is good.

“At first I felt, personally, like people looked at me differently,” she explained. “But now I’m okay with it. It’s meant to help people, and right now I need help.”

She makes a good point. I think I’m ready to take my checks back into the store and try again.