City-Based WIC Program Offers Nutrition, Other Aid to Struggling Families

With more than 15 percent of the state’s population living in poverty as of 2012, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School reminds residents that food and other types of assistance are availabkle to working families.

The WIC program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is a nutrition education program that provides  pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women as well as infants and children up to age 5 with access to supplemental foods, breastfeeding support, and healthcare referrals. The NJMS WIC Program also offers an Immunization Outreach Program that educates enrolled moms about the importance of timely immunizations for their children ages 2 and under and makes calls to remind them about their immunization appointments. In addition, a representative is periodically onsite to assist families with the completion of NJ FamilyCare applications.

“At the heart of our WIC program is a genuine desire to help families meet their dietary needs and to be aware of the proactive steps they can take to promote healthy lifestyles,” said Valeria Jacobs Andrews, the director of the medical school’s WIC program.

NJMS’ WIC Program maintains two sites in Newark. The main site is located at 65 Bergen St. and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday. The satellite location, based at the Ivy Hill Apartment Complex, 230 Mount Vernon Place, is open the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month from 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 973-972-3416.