The Mercer County Women, Infants, and Children Program, administered by The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey, will continue offering services through its Princeton satellite office to eligible residents in 2015.
Last year, the clinic in Princeton was at risk of closing due to decreasing enrollment levels. Jeff Grosser, Princeton Health Officer and Elisa Neira, executive director of Princeton Human Services, have worked with the Children’s Home Society to increase WIC participation and implemented a number of strategies to maintain this clinic for the community.
“We increased our outreach efforts and ensured WIC information was available everywhere possible,” Grosser said. “By the end of 2014, WIC attendance at the Princeton clinic had improved, and we’re optimistic for 2015.”
WIC is a nutrition education program that helps families, primarily women with young children up to the age of five years old and women who are pregnant, identify healthy nutrition choices. The program provides families with nutrition assessments and education, breastfeeding education and support, and checks for the purchase of nutritious food.
In Mercer County, WIC is available locally in Trenton, Princeton, Hamilton, and Hightstown. The Mercer County WIC Program in Princeton is located in the municipal building community room at 400 Witherspoon Street on the third Friday of every month from 8:30 a.m. to 4: p.m.
“We want our residents to continue to have the benefits of the WIC clinic locally and encourage organizations that work with eligible individuals to promote the WIC clinic to their families,” said Neira.
You may qualify for WIC benefits if you are pregnant or recently pregnant, a breast-feeding mother, or a mother with an infant or a child under five years old. WIC participants must live in New Jersey and meet income criteria. WIC services are available to low-income families regardless of work status or if the individuals receive assistance from Disability, Social Security, Food Stamps, Medicaid, or TANF. To find out if you are eligible and/or to make an appointment, call (609) 498-7755 or visit the Mercer County WIC website at www.chsofnj.org.