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.

Help us promote the benefits of WIC:

Our Communication Toolkit includes a variety of posters, flyers, social media posts and more to help local organizations and WIC retailers promote WIC. The materials can be downloaded or the Alliance may be able to provide printed materials as needed. The toolkit provides education on who is eligible for WIC, promoting the WIC serves children up to their 5th birthday and that a variety of family types can benefit from WIC, namely pregnant moms, paternal caretakers, and grandparent caretakers.

Download the Communication Toolkit

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 form

Take the First Step in Supporting WIC Awareness

Our Virtual Training Playlist is a self-paced resource designed to help local organizations and community partners better connect eligible families to WIC services. The training provides an overview of WIC eligibility and benefits, and also explores common barriers families may face in accessing services, along with strategies and program efforts aimed at addressing those challenges.

This is a great asynchronous option for staff or volunteers of organizations who engage with community members and want to deepen their understanding of WIC. Participants are encouraged to complete a brief pre- and post-survey to help us evaluate general knowledge and the impact of the training.

Access the Virtual Training Playlist

Already 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

No! WIC welcomes all families. Citizenship status does not matter and will not be shared. Being on WIC does not make you a Public Charge.

Locate the WIC Clinic most convenient for them (WIC Clinic Locator) and call to schedule an appointment. They may need to leave a message, but they will receive a call back. They can also walk-in, but calling ahead for an appointment ensures availability and is highly recommended.

WIC participants can seek services at any WIC clinic in the state in which they reside. Chicago residents can go anywhere in the state of Illinois. It is recommended; WIC participants visit the same WIC clinic to maintain continuous participation in the program.

There are eight WIC providers in the city of Chicago. The providers are the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) , CEDA, Cook County Health, Miles Square Health Center (UI Health), Near North Health Center, Roseland Community Hospital, Sinai Community Institute, and TCA Health.

Families are encouraged to go to any WIC that works for them.

No, WIC clinics schedule appointments to service the maximum number of WIC participants.

It is not required, but it is highly recommended. If a WIC participant comes as a walk-in without an appointment, there is a chance you will be rescheduled for an upcoming appointment. It is important to emphasize scheduling a first appointment rather than walking in. If they are not seen on the walkin day, clinic will set them up with an appointment and inform them what to expect and what to bring for their first appt.

The food packages slightly differ between each state. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service holds nationwide standards for WIC Food Packages; however, each state can alter its services to cater to its residents' needs. Illinois is unique because it utilizes the WIC EBT Card for WIC participants to purchase specific healthy and WIC-approved foods.

The WIC EBT Card holds a household's WIC benefits. It purchases WIC items using benefits at WIC-authorized vendors and WIC grocery sites. Fresh, frozen, canned fruits and vegetables utilize the Cash Value Benefit, meaning there is a dollar amount connected to the item, whereas every other item is quantity-based. All issued benefits are available to redeem during the monthly time frame. Once the benefit expiration date has passed, the benefits do not carry over to the following month.

WIC grocery sites are exclusively for WIC participants and offer various WIC-approved foods and formulas, including medically-prescribed formulas. These sites create an easier and more efficient WIC shopping experience. There are 14 locations across Chicago, and many are within walking distance from a conventional grocery store if a family needs to stock up after their WIC shopping.

WIC grocery sites assist with nutrition education through special events such as food tastings, healthy recipes, health topics, store tours, and nutrition and cooking classes.

For nutrition and cooking classes, some WIC grocery sites may even provide childcare so families can fully engage in the material. We recommend new families start by using WIC grocery sites.

Unite Us is a unique Chicago-specific resource that is available to assist with the WIC referral process. Benefits of this program resource include improved coordination of care and service, a Comprehensive Service Referral System, simplified reporting, enhanced patient and client outcomes, and personalized support.

Yes! Partners are welcome to print, post, and utilize any of the recipes below from our partners at WIC Grocery:

Agua Fresca Recipe Card

Plan Your Visit

While You're Here

After Your Visit

West Side WIC Alliance

Ready to Get Involved?

Take the First Step in Supporting WIC Awareness

Already Trained But Have Questions?

Funding Statement

Discrimination Statement

Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities