Leifa Gordon, Healthy Lincoln County staff member, Ginger Roberts-Scott, director of the Maine WIC Nutrition Program, and Gingers dog visit the Rockland Farmers Market. (Photo courtesy Healthy Lincoln County)
In efforts to highlight all the state benefits that support nutrition while increasing spending with farmers (like SNAP and Maine Harvest Bucks, Farm Fresh Rewards, and the Maine Senior FarmShare Program), let’s look at the Maine Women, Infants, and Children Program, aka WIC, and the seasonal benefit called the Farmers Market Nutrition Program.
WIC serves pregnant folks and parents up to six months postpartum and children from birth to age 5. Non-birthing parents and guardians can also enroll their children. WIC provides food vouchers, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to various programs related to family health and well-being.
Participants receive supplemental funding to purchase foods such as fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, yogurt, cereal, whole grains, peanut butter, beans, eggs, canned fish, juice and infant formula. According to the United States Department of Agriculture website, in 2021 there were over 16,000 individuals in Maine accessing the WIC benefit.
Lincoln County programming is run by Midcoast Maine Community Action. Eligibility is based on income and individuals must be considered at “nutrition risk” by a health professional, which can mean a variety of things. Unsure if you might qualify? Go to bit.ly/3WDJk3P.
One special component of the WIC program is the Farmers Market Nutrition Program. This is a benefit that individuals receive starting July 1, and is accessed through an app. All participants over 12 months old receive $50 to spend directly with WIC-certified farmers on Maine-grown fruits and vegetables. This benefit does expire on Oct. 31, so make sure to spend it with a farmer before the season ends.
I recently took a field trip to the Rockland Farmers Market to visit with the vendors and say hello to our partners from Maine WIC. Ginger Roberts-Scott, director of the Maine WIC Nutrition Program, was there with her husband and sweet pup, sharing information on WIC and seeing the Farmers Market Nutrition Program in action.
Ginger shares that the program is already at $69,000 for redemption this summer. That means here has been almost $70,000 going directly to local farmers, while supporting the nutrition of Maine’s families. Everyone she has spoken with has been thrilled; participants and farmers alike.
Not all farmers are WIC-certified, and we are grateful for those who put in the time and effort to support the program. In Lincoln County, the farms that accept WIC are Goransons (at Damariscotta Farmers Market, Boothbay Farmers Market, and their farm store), Dharma Farm (at Boothbay Farmers Market), SeaLyon Farm (at Wiscasset Farmers Market), Sheepscot River Valley Farmers Market at Albee Farm, and New Roots Cooperative Farm (at Damariscotta Farmers Market).
While spending time at the Damariscotta Farmers Market this summer, I have had the pleasure of supporting participants in using the FMNP app with Goransons Farm and it is truly a win-win situation. Shoppers leave with bags of healthy, local food, and farms benefit both financially and from the knowledge that they are directly supporting families in our community.
Have questions? Email me a lgordon@healthylincolncounty.org.
