Two years ago Sinikka Lee was a brand-new mother and a full-time student. Her husband, also a student, worked part-time.

Their finances were tight, to say the least.

The resource they turned to for help was a little unexpected, Lee said; they found out they qualified for WIC, the federally funded program that provides food vouchers for new mothers, infants and children. It's provided an additional $40 or so worth of groceries a month as well a little peace of mind.

"I'm sure we would have been fine without it, but this helps us to be a little more comfortable with our circumstances," Lee said.

Lee and her two children, Maija, 2, and Abigail, 9 months, are among the more than 13,000 WIC participants in Utah County. Participants can be pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to 5 years old.

The numbers, which started at just more than 13,300 participants in October, the beginning of the federal fiscal year, climbed about 4 percent by April, when 13,863 participants signed up, according to numbers from the Utah County Health Department.

The increased number of participants, along with a new food package that most likely will be more expensive, may cause some budget concerns in the future, although administrators aren't concerned yet.

"I'll be OK for this year, and we haven't heard where we're going to be next year," said WIC director Doreen Radford.

Statewide, participation has increased by just more than 6 percent from September to June, said Christopher Furner, WIC manager for the state. In Utah County, participation increased by just more than 4 percent in the same time period.

"We do feel that, of course, a piece of this is due to the economy," Furner said, adding that he couldn't speculate on how big that piece was. "Obviously, a loss of employment is affecting many, many households. We know that this is playing a factor."

If the state needs more money from the federal government, he can get it, he said, especially since Utah actually is entitled to more based on eligibility requirements. Between 85,000 and 88,000 people are eligible, which means those Utahns are at 185 percent or less of the poverty level. For a father, mother and one child, that equals an annual income of $33,874. Radford said many in Utah County are far below that level.

So, many more people are eligible for WIC than use it. Furner attributed the high levels of personal responsibility and the services the LDS Church provides to much lower numbers participating in public assistance programs, as well as less fraud. That all contributes to the program's financial solvency in Utah when other states may be hurting.

He gets calls still from women saying their husbands lost their jobs so they need WIC now, but they're going to get on unemployment and then get off WIC. Many don't see it as a long-term solution, he said.

"I can promise you as soon as the economy starts rebounding, our participation will decrease," he said.

New food packages

Lee was at the WIC offices this week for a six-month checkup for her girls and to pick up another three-month supply of food vouchers. She was one of the lucky ones who got the new vouchers early, which meant her next trip to the store included fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains and peanut butter. Previously, WIC paid for juice, whole milk and a couple dozen eggs, but as of July 1, the diet got a little more balanced.

"Fantastic!" was Lee's response to the change; she could now use the vouchers on food that her children need.

Radford said these changes have been in the works for years, but WIC hasn't made any major changes to its vouchers in 34 years, so it took some time. It's also complicated the shopping process a little, since clients have to stay within their allotted few dollars of fresh produce instead of just swapping a voucher for a gallon of milk. She and Lee think it's worth it.

"Clients love the new food packages," Radford said. "They love the option of the fruits and vegetables."

These packages always have been considered supplemental. They are not intended to provide all the nutrients a pregnant or breastfeeding woman or an infant or child needs, Radford said, but it does provide milk, cereal, bread and food at crucial points of development for children.

Financially, this does put more of a strain on WIC, albeit an expected one. Furner said a food package in June prior to the changes cost about $43, which is the least expensive it's been for a couple of years. Those prices are dependent solely on food prices. He doesn't know yet how much the average package will cost now that fresh produce and whole wheat bread are a possibility, but said it will go up by probably about 5 percent.

Both New York and Delaware already implemented the new food vouchers, so the rest of the states are watching them.

"They did not see the rise that they thought they would," Furner said of those states.

Canned beans instead of dry beans, new jarred baby food and a few other tweaks complete the new food package, which now is in line with the 2005 dietary guidelines.

"We've waited a very long time for these changes to take place, and we're excited that they're finally here," he said.

Throughout the next three months, all WIC participants in the state of Utah will receive the new vouchers.

Lee, however, hopes she won't have many more visits to the office. Her husband graduated in April, she graduates in a month, and they're waiting for him to be commissioned by the U.S. Army and sent somewhere. She'd pass along her experience with the program, and she's definitely glad it was there to help, she said.

"As soon as we are on a type of salary, we'll be just fine," she said, cuddling her baby.

• Heidi Toth can be reached at (801) 344-2556 or htoth@heraldextra.com.

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