WIC is coming to Newport, Lincoln City farmers markets

Lincoln County Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) staff will be at farmers markets in Newport and Lincoln City at the end of this month to distribute Farm Direct Nutrition Program (FDNP) vouchers to WIC participants.

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 29, they will be at the Newport Farmers Market, located at the corner of Highway 101 and Angle St. And the following day, Sunday, June 30, also from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., they will be at the Lincoln City Cultural Center at 540 NE Highway 101 (inside the building).

WIC will be partnering with the OSU Extension at the farmers markets. The FDNP provides fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables to WIC participants to expand the awareness, use of, and sales at farmers markets.

A variety of fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs may be purchased with FDNP coupons. WIC Farm Direct fruit and veggie vouchers come in a $28 booklet to qualified participants.

From June through Nov. 30, WIC recipients may spend their vouchers on fresh fruits and vegetables with authorized farmers at farm stands and farmers markets.

WIC receives enough funding to offer Farm Direct vouchers to approximately 25 percent of enrolled WIC participants each year. WIC is a USDA public health program designed to improve health outcomes and influence lifetime nutrition and health behaviors for nutritionally at-risk families.

The WIC Program provides supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education at no cost to low-income pregnant, post-partum people, and to infants and children up to 5 years of age, who are found to be at nutritional risk.