What's in your WIC-approved cart?

Bush planes are often the most efficient way to travel between Alaska's rural communities. They're also making healthy foods more accessible to Alaskans in need.

The federally-funded nutrition program known as Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, serves 19,000 Alaskans -- pregnant and post-partum mothers and kids age 0-5 who meet income guidelines -- each month. Most participants are able to stop by a neighborhood grocery store and fill up their carts with WIC-approved foods. It's not that simple for the moms who live in rural communities without a WIC vendor. Instead, many receive their WIC-approved groceries by air mail.

Alaska operates the only mail out program in the country, allowing 1,400 moms and kids who live in communities without WIC-approved stores access to nutritious food year-round, regardless of what is -- or isn't -- on the shelves of their local stores.

Kathleen Wayne oversees the WIC program in her capacity as the manager for the Family Nutrition Program for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Division of Public Assistance.

"The biggest thing for me about the program is that we're working with families for a short duration of time -- from when a mom becomes pregnant until the child ages to its fifth year -- where we have an opportunity to provide great nutritious food and counseling that will hopefully stay with that family for a lifetime," Wayne said.

Wayne said when a new client comes to one of the WIC clinics, they start with an assessment. Their height and weight are recorded and hemoglobin is taken to check iron levels. Then participants are surveyed about the food they're eating, the exercise they're getting and other factors that contribute to their overall health.

In the more remote communities, the WIC program employs residents trained to be the frontline WIC counselors in the absence of a nutritionist.

Once the nutritional assessment is complete and counseling has taken place, nutritionists identify nutrition risks and prescribe an individual food package that meets each family's needs.

That prescription, Wayne said, is how the program differs from other food assistance programs.

"I think most people separate WIC from other programs," Wayne said. "We'll often hear people say 'I'm on WIC, but I'm not on that other nutrition program,' because they know the food they get on WIC is very specific and very healthy."

The program is designed to put participants on the path to healthier eating through nutrition education and nourishing foods.

"Otherwise we see a lot of moms and children who are over-consuming sugary beverages or aren't getting enough iron," said Jennifer Johnson, a state WIC nutritionist. "Fruits and vegetables are low in most diets and are things everybody needs."

Marcia Fletcher, whose family has been on the program for the last six years, said the education she receives about healthy living is one reason she stays enrolled.

"If I wasn't on it, my kids and I probably wouldn't have any dairy products in our diets," Fletcher said. "We'd probably eat things that are more sugary, because the stuff that's not good for you is cheaper than the stuff that is good for you."

Fletcher also said she takes online classes through the WIC program that detail how, when and what quantity of food to feed infants, the benefits of nursing and what are appropriate food choices for young children.

To qualify for Alaska's WIC program, a participant's household annual income must fall at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. For a single parent with one child, a qualifying annual income would be less than $36,852.

"A lot of time the foods that are considered healthy are more expensive, so people that are on a smaller budget may not choose those foods, because they cost more," Wayne said. "WIC focuses on foods that are needed for good health and nutrition."

Currently, there are 160 WIC-approved stores around Alaska where participants can do their shopping. Approved foods are identified by "WIC approved" shelf stickers placed under the food items in most participating stores.

"The stores have to follow procedures to ensure (that) when clients come to purchase foods, they're only purchasing foods that are WIC items," said Sandy Harbanuk, a vendor coordinator for the WIC program.

James Nick, manager of the Kwethluk Native Store for the last 23 years, agreed. "We follow whatever guidelines they give us," he said. "We provide necessities to women and their babies." It's a service he says he's happy to provide especially considering that the alternative -- having groceries shipped in from a larger community -- is out of reach for families with limited income.

The store where Nick works became a WIC vendor even before he took over as manager, and he's seen some ups and downs in profitability -- in the last decade, mostly downs, he said. "Things have slimmed down because of the economy. We follow what changes come. And we follow how the economy goes. Maybe one day it will come back again."

In the Alaska communities where shopping options are even more limited, WIC is still available -- but instead of participants going to the store, the groceries come to them in the form of 55- to 70-pound packages. Depending on the needs of those moms and kids, package contents range from whole grain foods, juice, dried eggs and milk to fruits, vegetables, peanut butter and canned beans or fish.

Harbanuk said that while not every member in a community may be enrolled in WIC, having a WIC-approved store in the community helps everyone since it means there will be healthy foods available for purchase.

"If you have a small store in a far-flung place, you don't necessarily have a lot of shelf space," Harbanuk said. Vendors can make more money stocking low-nutrition foods, but many choose to participate in the program anyway.

Deborah McMullen is the second-generation owner of the Port Graham Variety Store. She took over when her dad retired 24 years ago. "The program started up when my dad owned the business. It became part of the store. It is a really good program."

WIC, she said, was responsible for introducing fresh milk to Port Graham residents back in her dad's day. "Before that, we sold a lot of evaporated milk."

The ongoing challenge for rural retailers like McMullen and Nick is logistics -- how to get fresh food from city hubs to their stores.

"Right now the road is good, the ice road," Nick said. "When they make a transition in springtime, and they start flying it in, they use a small plane and it takes longer."

Weather is always a factor.

But, McMullen said, "Everyone who lives here is used to that."

? This story was sponsored by Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, a nonprofit Tribal health organization designed to meet the unique health needs of more than 150,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people living in Alaska.? Alaska Native Medical Center is one of four WIC sites in Anchorage. Call (907) 343-4440 for more information.

This article was produced by the special content department of Alaska Dispatch News in collaboration with ANTHC. Contact the editor, Jamie Gonzales, at jgonzales@alaskadispatch.com. The ADN newsroom was not involved in its production.