Commentary: WIC food aid is a lifeline for Arkansas families like mine. Let’s keep it strong.

By CHRISTIAN DeCLUE | Special to the Arkansas Advocate

Since 2014, I’ve been a mom to more than 20 kids. Yes, you read that correctly. 

I’m a foster parent, an adoptive parent and a biological parent. But no matter how they came into my life or my home, they’re all my kids. 

Raising this many kids is a blessing. It’s also a lot to manage. That’s why, like more than 65,000 Arkansans, I have been so happy to rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as WIC. 

But that help may soon be taken away from us. 

The Trump administration wants to give WIC participants less money each month for fruits and vegetables. Options for WIC participants to conduct appointments virtually or on the phone — which allow working and stay-at-home moms the flexibility to continue receiving benefits without having to travel to an office — may soon disappear. 

None of this makes sense to me. I hope Arkansas’ representatives in Washington agree.

WIC provides food, nutrition education, breastfeeding counseling and healthcare referrals. Studies show the program reduces poverty, lowers hunger, and improves health. Every $1 invested in prenatal WIC saves $2.48 in other costs. Here at home, almost half of all babies born in Arkansas are on WIC. Last year, the program brought more than $65 million into our state. 

WIC has long been an important part of my life. My family relied on it when I was growing up, and I qualified again as a parent. It helps us cover many basics like milk, bread, eggs, cheese, beans, rice, and also fresh fruits and vegetables. It makes a real difference in my kids’ lives, and I’ve made lifelong friends through the program. As both a child and an adult, I’ve seen how well it works.

Why would anyone want to mess with a good thing? 

A few years ago, federal officials significantly increased WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefits. 

Real, healthy food suddenly became much more affordable for many families. It freed up money to pay other bills. That’s been a game-changer for us. 

Now the administration wants to cut monthly fruit and vegetable benefits from $52 to $13 for breastfeeding mothers and from $26 to $10 for young children. 

That would be a disaster. 

Arkansas already has the worst hunger rate in the country, and food prices are still high. If those cuts go through, that means many moms will be forced to say “no” to children asking for their favorite fruits, and turn to cheaper, ultraprocessed foods that aren’t good for their health. Nobody wins. 

It’s a similar story with accessibility. When I was a kid, applying for WIC and receiving benefits all happened on paper and in an office or clinic. It’s a different world now, and accommodating and adapting with the times is vital. Many participants could do a lot of that from home, which would make applying and participating so much easier.  

But the rules enacted in 2021 that provide this online flexibility could expire in September, and Congress hasn’t extended them. Forcing moms to drive long distances means we have to take time off of work, put toddlers into carseats, and risk our kids getting sick in a clinic. 

That seems counterproductive to the times when we can easily email paperwork or complete tasks over the phone, especially when gas is now $3.50 or more a gallon. 

Again: why go back to the way things used to be when they’re so much better now?  

Higher fruit and vegetable benefits and expanded virtual services have both contributed to increased WIC participation in recent years, especially among kids. That’s a big deal, because there’s a big gap nationallyand in Arkansas between WIC eligibility and participation. We should be closing that gap, not widening it. 

WIC participants in Arkansas and other states say better benefits and more flexible services matter to their experience. The vast majority of WIC agencies say that virtual services in particular are an important part of their operations.  

Arkansas is fortunate to have leaders like John Boozman, the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, who help shape national nutrition policy. They should keep the higher fruit and vegetable benefits and pass legislation as part of this year’s appropriations bill to make WIC’s online and virtual services permanent.  

Raising kids is a full-time job. Trust me, I would know. But it’s also a blessing, and WIC really helps. Let’s keep WIC moving forward, not backward, for the thousands of Arkansans who depend on it. 

Christian DeClue is a Little Rock resident and WIC participant.