If states or retailers are interested in exploring this, they still need USDA to sign off on it,' Dittmeier said. State WIC programs could opt to change that, but would need federal approval, since the programs vary by state and even by retailer, Dittmeier said. 'We hope that USDA will work with state WIC agencies to implement innovative strategies – such as curbside pickup – to streamline the shopping experience for WIC families,' he told Insider.

Curbside pickup, delivery, and even self-checkout aren't options for Erica, who has been relying on WIC since January 2019.įederal policy limits WIC to retail-only in most statesĬurrently, almost every state requires that WIC services are used in a traditional retail setting - clients must shop in-person for their groceries, then check out with a cashier, according to Brian Dittmeier, senior public policy counsel with the National WIC Association. In Oklahoma, those benefits require that she be physically present inside the store to use her monthly allotment of $80 worth of essential food items to stock her kitchen. Online grocery shopping is soaring in the US, but Erica relies on WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) benefits, the federal assistance program that provides financial resources for nutritional purposes to low-income, nutritionally at-risk mothers of young children. Throughout the trip, she sanitizes everything repeatedly - her hands, the cart handle - and tries to stay a safe distance away from other people, avoiding every occupied aisle, circling the store until she has everything she needs. Once there, Erica picks out as many essential items as many as she can get.

They drive 45 minutes to the nearest Walmart. These days, every grocery trip is a balance of risk assessment and hygiene for Erica, a mother in rural Oklahoma with a eight-month-old son. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

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