Extra help for needy families to purchase produce this summer | Health
Families participating in the state’s Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program will get extra benefits to purchase fruits and vegetables this summer.
The state health department’s Division of Public Health Services announced the temporary benefit increase from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is designed “to ensure children and families in New Hampshire have greater access to healthy food sources this summer.”
The program typically allocates a monthly stipend of $9 per child and $11 per mother to purchase fruits and vegetables. With funding through the American Rescue Plan, that allocation will increase to $35 per person from June through September.
The stipend will automatically be added to the eWIC benefit card. Participants can use the funds to purchase fresh, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables from 158 participating vendors across the state.
WIC currently serves about 14,200 individuals in New Hampshire. To qualify, a family must be income-eligible, live in the state and fit into one of these categories: pregnant, post-partum, breastfeeding or with children under 5.
Low- to moderate-income families who are eligible for other programs, such as foster care, Medicaid, SNAP and TANF, are automatically eligible.
