WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. It provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, supplemental foods and health care referrals to low-income pregnant women, new mothers, babies and young children. WIC’s targeted, time-limited services have been proven to improve birth outcomes and enhance child growth and development while improving the health of mothers and infants.

WIC serves suburban Cook County residents by offering nutrition education, counseling, supplemental food vouchers and healthcare and social service referrals for infants, children under five and pregnant and breast feeding women. The Women, Infants and Children Program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Located in the heart of the communities they serve, each WIC Grocery Center is Chicagoland’s one-stop-shop for healthy and nutritious WIC-approved foods. Each location offers a wide variety of name-brand, nutritionally sound, and 100% WIC-approved foods.

Established in 1993, the original purpose of WIC Grocery centers was to address systematic problems facing the city’s urban communities, including lack of adequate neighborhood grocery stores, major food chains unwilling to risk locating in economically deteriorating neighborhoods, and waste, fraud, and abuse of the supplemental food system. These centers have become unique hubs for participants, providing access to social services, employment and job training, nutrition education, and other programs and resources to support families.

WIC serves over 500,000 women and children in Illinois annually. The program’s measurable accomplishments include decreasing the incidence of low birth weight, improving infant growth and development, increasing immunization rates, reducing iron deficiency anemia, and promoting breastfeeding. Women, infants and children continue to receive nutrition education, counseling and supplemental foods that are healthy and nutritious in order to set them up for life success.

Locating WIC Offices in Chicago

Finding a WIC office in Chicago is straightforward, thanks to the city’s network of locations designed to serve residents efficiently. Typically, WIC offices in Chicago IL are situated in community health centers, public health departments, or other accessible locations across different neighborhoods. Some prominent WIC office locations in Chicago include:

• Near North WIC Office: Located in the Near North Side, this office serves residents in the downtown area and nearby neighborhoods.
• South Side WIC Office: Situated in neighborhoods like Englewood or South Shore, catering to families residing on the South Side of Chicago.
• West Side WIC Office: Serving communities such as Humboldt Park or Austin on the West Side, ensuring accessibility for families in these areas.

Each office operates with the goal of providing compassionate and culturally sensitive services, respecting the diversity that characterizes Chicago’s population.

Accessing WIC Services

To access WIC services in Chicago, individuals must meet certain eligibility criteria based on income and nutritional risk. Eligible participants include pregnant women, breastfeeding women (up to one year postpartum), non-breastfeeding postpartum women (up to six months postpartum), infants, and children up to the age of five.

Applying for WIC involves contacting a local office to schedule an appointment. During the appointment, applicants undergo a nutritional assessment, and if eligible, they receive benefits and valuable educational resources.