Leon County WIC office has Open House

Kay Jarrett, WIC Director; Glaria Salaza, Hearne WIC; Kari Krueger, BVCAA; Kim Collins, Madisonville WIC; Vanessa Enriquez, Asst. Director, Bryan; Alex Massey, Nutritionist, Bryan; Jordan Morchat, Nutritionist, Bryan; Sandra Cerda, Clerk, Centerville. On Thursday, April 16 the Leon County WIC office held an open house to show off its new facility in Centerville. The office has previously been located in Jewett on Highway 79. Kay Jarrett, WIC Director in Bryan said "We are excited to be in Centerville and feel that we are more centrally located than when we were in Jewett. We serve the entire Leon County and this puts us in the middle of it."

WIC, an acronym for women, infants and children, is a federally funded program administered by the state of Texas , and is set up to help nourish and educate mothers and children who are age 5 and under. The Leon County office serves 420; pregnant women, women who are breast feeding, babies and young children.

To qualify for WIC assistance you must meet the income limits, live in Leon County and have a nutritional need. (This could be a child is too heavy or too thin.) If you meet the income and nutrition need; children can stay on WIC until 5 years of age and women can stay on WIC, if breastfeeding, until one year after their baby is born. If not breastfeeding, until six months after their baby is born.

Welcome home, Daddy. A returning serviceman in the Colorado Springs Airport re-introduces himself to his little boy. Dad shared that the baby 'had no hair and wasn't even crawling" when the soldier left to serve his country. Thank you to ALL our U.S. servicemen and women for your daily sacrifices. Van'Go'photo A qualified woman will learn how to breastfeed and how to care for herself during pregnancy and after her baby is born. She will learn how to feed her baby and how to keep her baby healthy with good nutrition. She will also learn the same skills to care for her child up to 5 years.

The qualified consumer will be given a WIC Star smart card with a specified amount of money to purchase designated healthy foods. The consumer may purchase a month's supply of groceries at the first of the month or may buy them throughout the month. However, if the funds are not used they do not carry forward.

To help the consumer make healthy choices, the card is programmed to read only approved items. Milk, cheese, fruit and vegetable juice, cereals, peanut butter, eggs, dried beans are some of the WIC approved objects.

The nutritionists at the Leon County WIC are trained to help you with your nutrition needs and to teach you how to best purchase your food. If you would use their help, stop by and check it out.