County Services Continue For Women, Children Amid Pandemic

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County continues to help women and children amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Tuesday morning.

The Burlington County Department of Health’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program continues to deliver services such as education, nutrition assistance, health care referrals and other social services for pregnant women, new mothers and children 5-year-old and younger.

“As a mom myself, I know the challenges new and expecting mothers face. Making sure they and their children have access to nutritious foods, health care and other assistance is important at all times, but especially during this pandemic,” Burlington County Freeholder Director Felicia Hopson said. “The board is incredibly proud of our Health Department and staff for the job they’ve done responding to the outbreak, but also for continuing to deliver services our residents rely on.”

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One aspect of the program includes the distribution of $25 farmers market vouchers that can be used to purchase fresh produce at the farmers market at the Burlington County Agriculture Center in Moorestown and other participating farmers markets throughout the county and state.

“Fresh produce helps both moms and their children stay healthy and partnering with the farmers markets helps support our local farms to keep agriculture viable and vibrant,” Hopson said.

Nutrition counseling is being provided through online classes and mailings and one-on-one conversations. Breastfeeding support is also offered and made available during and after work hours. Peer counseling is also provided on weekends.

Low- and moderate-income mothers are eligible for the WIC services, including vouchers for nutritious foods rich in Calcium, Protein, Iron and fiber.

About 3,300 people typically participate in the program each month, according to officials. So far this year about 24 percent of the enrolled participants are women, close to 50 percent are children and around 26 percent are infants.For more information on the WIC program and services or to enroll, visit https://wic.nj.gov/participantportal/ or call 609-267-4304.

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