[Lancaster]— September 2, 2019.— Pennsylvania’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), is offering its families a new way to shop for WIC food benefits using an Electronic Benefits Transfer (eWIC) card. No more paper checks! WIC families in Adams, Bedford, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Somerset, Snyder, Union, and York counties will begin using this new tool in September 2019.

With the eWIC card, shopping will be quick, easy and convenient for WIC families and their grocery stores. WIC participants will save time at the checkout and can buy WIC foods in as many shopping trips as they need throughout the month. Participants may also have access to a new WICShopper Smart Phone App allowing them to scan a food’s bar code to determine if it is a WIC allowed food.

WIC provides services at over 250 clinic sites throughout Pennsylvania and serves approximately 205,000 pregnant women, infants and children under age 5. These WIC families shop at more than 1,500 Pennsylvania grocery stores and spend $248 million a year with their WIC food benefits.

Kim Sullenberger, Lancaster County’s WIC Director said recently, “I am very excited that eWIC will mean a much better and more convenient shopping experience for our families. We talk with parents and caregivers every day who can’t wait for their card.”

Lancaster WIC has been offering participant-centered nutrition education, healthy food, breastfeeding support and has been serving as a gateway for preventative health for over 40 years. It is considered one of the most successful, cost-effective and important nutrition intervention programs in the county. Lancaster County WIC has appointment openings. For more information about WIC, visit caplanc.org or pawic.com or call (717) 509-3686 or 1-800-WIC-WINS. PA WIC is funded by the USDA. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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For more information, press only:

[Allyson Gregg ]

[(717) 509-3686 ext. 3088]

[agregg@caplanc.org]

For more information about Pennsylvania WIC: www.pawic.com

The information below is NOT part of the proposed release.

USDA requires the WIC Program to provide the full version of the non-discrimination statement to all media outlets to fulfill our requirement for Civil Rights. However, when the media outlet conveys the message to the public, using the short version is acceptable. The statement “This institution is an equal opportunity provider.” is sufficient, as it is written in the notice above.

The full nondiscrimination statement is as follows:

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race,

color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider