Onondaga County is assisting more than 19,000 families under the Women, Infants and Children or WIC program… but, long-term federal funding still needs to be secured to keep it operating. The U-S Agriculture Deputy Secretary was in Syracuse today to tour the local WIC Clinic operated by Onondaga County. The clinic makes it possible for mother’s to buy nutritional foods for children. Xochitl Torres Small says she was introduced to a Mother turned employee of the clinic who’s children are currently in college.
“And that’s why it’s crucial that WIC receive full funding because as we work to increase the number of eligible people participating in WIC, we need to make sure the funds are there so that people aren’t waiting on wait lists to get that baby formula or those fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Torres Small says President Biden is committed to investing in young children. She credits the WIC program both here and across the country with high success rates.
“Infants are more likely to survive. There’s fewer premature births and also that there’s higher cognitive functioning, if you have access to WIC. A large percentage of new Moms, babies and toddlers don’t get the service. They don’t apply.”
Although, she adds New York State has successfully enrolled an additional 28,000 into the WIC program in the last two years. The Department of Agriculture says 6.7 million Moms and their kids are enrolled. Meanwhile, child poverty rates in Syracuse continue to rank among the highest in the nation.
