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WIC Funding Only Through October

National Archives and Records Administration

The ongoing shutdown of the federal government is casting doubt on the ability of the federal Women, Infants and Children program, or WIC to stay open in some states.

Utah has already stopped accepting new participants – but Colorado’s program has enough reserve state and USDA funding to get through the end of October. But if the government shutdown continues into November, funding for WIC could be difficult to find.

“We are considering our options,” said Patricia Daniluk, Nutrition Services Branch director for the department’s Prevention Services Division. “This federal shutdown is unprecedented, and there currently are many unknowns. We are, first and foremost, doing our best to meet the nutritional needs of the more than 95,000 women and children WIC serves.”

Ingrid Rosoff is the director of the WIC program in Larimer county. If the shutdown continues, she says they may have to go to a priority system that would mainly serve pregnant women and infants.

“We’ve had to do that before…that might be a possibility but at this point in time we really don’t know,” Rosoff said. 

Over 4,000 women and children rely on WIC programs in Larimer county alone. There are three WIC offices in Larimer county, including in recently flood ravaged Estes Park. 

The program provides supplemental vouchers for healthy food, breastfeeding support, infant formula other services for moms and kids under five living at or near the poverty line. 

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