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Sweet deals are more than a figure of speech for military families who can use their WIC benefits to buy holiday baking essentials.
Healthy items like apples, sweet potatoes, pumpkin puree, eggs and milk are essential ingredients in holiday pies, and are eligible products through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. WIC provides free, healthy foods to eligible pregnant and postpartum women, and children up to age 5. The program also provides personalized nutrition education, breastfeeding support and referrals to health and community resources.
With over 40% of children of active-duty service members under the age of 5, the Defense Department is raising awareness about the meaningful benefit.
“The Defense Department understands that having access to affordable, nutritious food supports the wellness, resilience and readiness of our warfighters and their families. That’s why we encourage our military community to take advantage of programs and services designed to strengthen their nutrition readiness,” said Stephen B. Simmons, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Military Community and Family Policy.
The Defense Department’s Nutrition Readiness subject matter expert, Dr. Courtney Paolicelli, agreed. “Young military families who are just starting out juggle multiple responsibilities, including purchasing and preparing healthy meals,” said Paolicelli, a registered dietitian nutritionist who holds specialty certifications in both health education and diabetes care and education. “WIC is an essential benefit for many new families — one that helps infants grow and thrive — and we want to make sure our eligible military families take advantage of it.”
Studies show that WIC participation is associated with better maternal and child health outcomes, including better overall diet quality among women and children and improved cognitive development among children. Children age 5 or under make up 40.5% of the nearly 889,000 children of active-duty service members, and 30.6% of the more than 629,000 children of National Guard members and reservists, according to the 2023 Demographics Profile of the Military Community.
Paolicelli noted that military families often assume they’re not income-eligible for WIC because they make too much money. However, many of the military allowances, particularly the Basic Allowance for Housing and combat pay, typically aren’t factored in when determining WIC eligibility.
“We have families who are missing out on free, high-quality nutrition because they assume it’s not available to them or they were told in error that they don’t qualify for WIC,” Paolicelli said.
Military families enrolled in WIC can seamlessly transfer their benefits when moving to a new state by requesting a “Verification of Certification” from their current WIC office and presenting it upon arrival at their new location. This ensures continued access to important nutrition benefits.
The DOD urges service members and family members to use the WIC PreScreening Tool to check their eligibility. The Military OneSource WIC page has information on how to apply for the WIC benefit. Service members and families stationed overseas may be eligible for the WIC Overseas Program.
In addition to eligible pregnant and breastfeeding women, other adult caregivers – like parents, foster parents and caregivers of young children – may apply for WIC benefits on behalf of their children.
The Defense Department has a number of resources to support optimal nutrition in the military community, including the Food Security Resources and Support Programs MilLife Guide and the Nutrition Readiness toolkit for Military Leaders.
Military OneSource is a DOD program that is both a contact center and a website providing comprehensive information, resources and assistance on every aspect of military life. Service members and the families of active duty, National Guard, reserve and Coast Guard (regardless of activation status), DOD expeditionary civilians and survivors are eligible for Military OneSource services, which are available worldwide 24 hours a day, seven days a week, free to the user.
Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for establishing and overseeing quality of life policies and programs that help our service members, their families and survivors be well and mission ready. Military OneSource is the gateway to programs and services that support the everyday needs of the more than 4.4 million service members and immediate family members of the military community. These DOD services can be accessed 24/7/365 around the world.
| Date Taken: | 11.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.01.2025 16:42 |
| Story ID: | 552700 |
| Location: | ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 10 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Season’s Savings: Military Leaders Tout WIC Benefits for Nutritious, Economic Stability, by T'Jae Ellis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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