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CHICOPEE With a band playing marches and show tunes in the background and a person in a giant duck suit telling people to eat fruits and vegetables, there was a festive air at the Chicopee Farmers Market on Wednesday to call attention to the Women, Infants, Children Nutrition Program (WIC) Informational Day. Hermine Charkoudian, the director of the Holyoke and Chicopee WIC program for the Valley Opportunity Council described WIC as the state's premiere public health program emphasizing good nutrition. WIC participants and their children up to the age of five years receive nutrition counseling, free food and access to healthcare. WIC also offers immunization screening, referral to health and human services and distributed coupons for fresh produce at farmers markets. Charkoudian said that this year the local WIC program chose the Chicopee Farmers Market as the place to market its services. The Valley Opportunity Council has WIC operations in Holyoke, Chicopee, Westfield and Ludlow. Charkoudian said WIC is making changes to emphasize healthier food choices. In its food packages there are more whole grains and its farmers market program helps people buy fresh fruits and vegetables while helping to support the local economy. There are currently 6,050 women and their children in the WIC program, and Charkoudian said there are many more who could qualify. Women must meet income eligibility requirements, including they must be pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum, or have a child under the age of five. They must have a total household income of less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level and be at nutritional risk. There are misconceptions about the program that can prevent some people from participating, she said. All information is confidential, which is a major fear for some. Single fathers, grandparents or foster parents with legal custody of a child under five years of age might also quality for WIC assistance as well as some working families. People who would like more information call the Valley Opportunity Council at 534-2460 in Holyoke or 612-0214 in Chicopee. |
