West Side WIC Alliance
The West Side WIC Alliance is dedicated to enhancing access to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program by building on existing community infrastructure and partnerships. Our mission is to connect eligible families to WIC benefits that promote nutrition security, health, and wellbeing.
Through innovative, community-driven strategies, the Alliance works to:
- Increase WIC awareness in priority populations by equipping trusted community organizations and health professionals with tailored outreach resources.
- Enhance WIC retention by improving the referral experience and addressing barriers to participation.
- Boost WIC participation by simplifying the referral process and providing robust support to healthcare providers, grocers, and community-based organizations.
Key initiatives include:
- Developing and delivering WIC-focused training for health and community professionals to strengthen their role as trusted messengers.
- Establishing an online WIC referral system that links families to WIC Clinics and grocers.
- Creating a comprehensive communications framework to unify messaging across healthcare partners, WIC clinics, grocery stores, and community-based organizations.
Membership in the West Side WIC Alliance is free and open to community organizations, healthcare providers, and retailers.
Members will receive:
- Access to specialized WIC-related training sessions.
- A customizable communications toolkit to amplify outreach and engagement efforts.
- Ongoing technical assistance and networking opportunities with like-minded partners.
A limited number of training stipends will be available for members who actively participate in training and implementation efforts.
Ready to Get Involved?
Complete the form below to express your interest in joining the West Side WIC Alliance. Together, we can ensure that families on Chicago’s West Side have access to the essential nutrition and health benefits they deserve.
The project is generously funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food Reseach Action Council (FRAC).
Fill out our interest formAlready Trained But Have Questions?
Check out our West Side WIC Alliance FAQ questions below.
WIC-Women Infant Children is a federally-funded program implemented by the Chicago Department of Public Health that provides pregnant, breastfeeding, postpartum women, children, and infants with nutrition assistance. WIC is a special nutrition program that assists*:
- Pregnant, breast-feeding or post-partum women
- Infants up to one year of age
- Children up to 5 years of age
*Participants must both be low income and at nutritional risk
The WIC program provides the following benefits:
- Nutrition counseling
- Breastfeeding counseling
- Monthly benefit card to purchase special healthy foods - like fruits, vegetables, milk, juice, eggs, cheese, cereal, whole grains, dry beans or peas, and peanut butter
- Infants receive infant formula and as they get older, cereal and baby food
- Health care referrals
WIC is available for the following groups based on these eligibility requirements:
- Pregnant women (throughout pregnancy)
- Breastfeeding women (up to infant's first birthday)
- Non-breastfeeding postpartum women (up to 6 months after pregnancy ends)
- Infants
- Children (through their fifth birthday)
Who are also:
- Residents of Illinois
- Families participating in Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF are automatically eligible for WIC. Families can also qualify if they have a household income of 185%+ Federal Poverty Line (FPL)
- Documented nutrition risk for their health provider
For more information visit: Supplemental Nutrition Program for WIC | We Got You Illinois
Funding Statement
This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Discrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant's name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
- Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
or
- Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442
or - Email: intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.