SANTA
ROSA, July
20, 2009 - The Redwood Empire Food
Bank (REFB) is expanding its hunger
relief safety net with the addition
of a new store at its Santa Rosa
headquarters to serve low-income
women and children eligible for
food assistance through the federal
WIC program.
Beginning this fall,
pregnant women, new mothers and
children under the age of 5 will
be able to redeem their WIC vouchers
for nutritious food at the REFB
where they also will obtain advice
and information on other vital hunger
relief programs for themselves and
other members of their families.
David Goodman, executive
director, said the introduction
of a WIC Store is a natural fit
for the REFB which is the largest
hunger relief agency on the California
coast north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
"We see this
as a unique opportunity to widen
our safety net for people in need,"
he said.
"Women and children
served under the WIC program are
also eligible for our own food relief
programs," Goodman said. "By
operating our own WIC Store we will
be able to provide the nutritious
foods these women and children receive
through WIC plus make sure they
take advantage of other programs
such as our special programs for
kids and our regular food assistance
distributions."
Goodman said the REFB
WIC Store may also offer other products
not covered by WIC.
"There are many
ways we can help low-income families
stretch their budgets, such as offering
them discounted diapers and other
common household necessities for
families with infants and young
children," he said.
The REFB received
final State Department of Public
Health authorization to operate
a WIC program on Monday. Goodman
said the REFB plans to have a WIC
Store open by September.
The REFB is only one
of two non-profits in the State
of California authorized to operate
WIC stores. The other non-profit
is the Yolo County Food Bank.
WIC is the common
abbreviation for Special Supplemental
Nutrition Program for Women, Infants
and Children. It is a federal health
and nutrition program administered
by the state.
WIC helps low-income
families by providing vouchers for
buying healthy supplemental foods,
such as milk, juice, cereal, baby
formula, eggs, produce, beans and
other staples, from WIC-authorized
vendors. The program also provides
nutrition education and helps families
find healthcare and other community
services.
About 12,300 women
and children receive WIC assistance
in Sonoma County. Statewide, the
program serves 1.4 million people.
Goodman said the REFB
WIC Store will be open from 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday at the REFB headquarters,
3320 Industrial Drive in Santa Rosa.
WIC customers will
be served by a bilingual staff and
food bank eligibility workers who
can direct mothers and families
to other food support services including
for kids the Every Child, Every
Day - Summer Hunger Initiative,
After School Snacks for Kids, Megan
Furth Harvest Pantry, and Emergency
Food Assistance program as well
as other food and produce distributions
open to all who are need.
"Low-income mothers
and families with very young children
need to get as much food into the
household as they can," he
said. "Having WIC part of our
hunger relief program will help
do that."
REFB staff also will
be ready to direct women and others
who are not yet WIC qualified how
to apply for the WIC assistance.
Goodman said the REFB
will welcome WIC recipients into
a friendly and easy environment
where participants are always treated
with dignity and respect.
"Supermarkets
do a good job serving WIC customers,
but sometimes in a busy grocery
store, especially when there is
confusion over eligible foods or
some other mix-up, a WIC transaction
can cause delays at the check out
stand," he said. "This
can lead WIC recipients to feel
embarrassed or unwelcome."
"That won't happen
here because at REFB our single
reason to exist is to provide hunger
relief to people in need,"
Goodman said.
Working with 133 partner
agencies, the REFB provides food
to some 60,000 people a month in
Sonoma County. It is also a source
of food for pantries in Lake, Mendocino,
Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
Goodman said the addition
of the WIC Store to the REFB operation
is part of on-going efforts to increase
the REFB's impact on hunger. The
REFB is also developing a line of
food products that will provide
busy families with ingredients and
recipes with which parents can quickly
prepare nutritious meals for the
dinner table.
"We are pursuing
opportunities that are perceived
to be out of our reach by many people,"
said Goodman. "We're like the
little dog that has no perception
of its size and tries to bite the
big dogs. We strive to be as big
as possible to better serve our
community and its people."
For more information
on the REFB or WIC Store, contact
Goodman at 707-523-7900. |
