Voices of WIC: "I Will Be Forever Grateful"

In 1983, a North Carolina grocery store publicly notified shoppers that it accepted the U.S. Department of Agriculture WIC vouchers. (Photo courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration/USDA)

Voices of WIC is a regular feature in which people who have received assistance from the federal program give a first-person account of the experience. If you have received or are receiving WIC and would like to share your story, please send an e-mail to Sarah Godfrey at sgodfrey@bread.org.

By Jennifer L. Brown

From December 1997 until May 2010, I worked in the human services field.  I truly believe that I was a very good social worker and gave my clients my all.  In July of 2010, I was blessed with my son.  This should have been the happiest time in my life but, in so many ways, it was the worst time.  I was unemployed, with no health insurance, and had nothing ready for my son’s arrival. 

After the birth of my son, I became a client of the same programs I once ran.  My experience with WIC stands out in particular.  I learned so much and truly enjoyed our monthly classes. The peer counseling and the sharing of ideas to calm a crying baby are just a couple of the life jewels I learned as a client of the WIC program in Charleston, South Carolina. 

For the first six months of my son’s life I was unemployed, and I honesty do not know how I would have provided nutrition for him without WIC.  In our state, the maximum amount of unemployment you can receive is $320, before taxes.  This was the only source of income I had to provide for my son and run our household. When I got my current job, in February 2011, I pledged to become a social worker in the mold of the ladies in the WIC office where I received service.   

I have learned to treat everyone with value, instead of judging or putting down people who are doing their best in an undesirable situation.  I will be forever grateful for what WIC allowed me to do for my son and I will support the program in any way I can.  

Jennifer L. Brown is an employment assistance program coordinator with a community human services agency in Charleston, S.C.