Welcome! You've reached the Osage Nation WIC Website.
A Little History
In the late 1960's the federal government focused a great deal of attention on helping Americans who were low income. The 1967 National Nutrition Survey showed that many children from lower income homes suffered from anemia and poor growth. These conditions can adversely affect brain size and cognitive ability. The study also showed that children got off to a poor start both physically and mentally because either they didn't have enough to eat or they just did not eat the right foods. Some children also suffered because their mothers did not get proper nutrition during their pregnancies.
In 1972, Congress passed bill to create the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Congress funded the program for two years and put the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in charge of it.
WIC has continued to grow since it began. USDA has modernized the process for certifying income eligibility for families already receiving other federal assistance. Breastfeeding education and promotion has been added to the program as WIC responsibilities. In some states participants are also issued vouchers so they can buy fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets during the summer months.
2004 was WIC's 30th anniversary of providing families with healthy foods, nutrition education, and health care referrals for women and children. WIC has many triumphs to its credit. Childhood anemia has dropped since the 1967 study and WIC has been given the credit as the major reason for that decline. In 2004 the WIC Program served approximately 210,000 women, infants and children each month.
Educational and/or Motivational Videos on Breastfeeding
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1-800-460-1006.