New poverty guidelines issued by the federal government have expanded eligibility for the WIC Nutrition Program. WIC, or Women Infants and Children, is a federally funded program which serves about 17,000 individuals per month in New Hampshire.
The program provides supplemental foods for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children who are at nutritional risk. Participants can also see a nutritionist.
Lisa Bujno of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services explains that the modest increase of roughly 3 percent is meant to compensate for inflation and the changing value of the dollar:
It’s just to make sure that over time, people whose income doesn’t increase dramatically are still eligible for the program
For instance, in 2011, a four person family could earn up to 796 dollars per week under WIC. Now, the cap has been changed to $821.