(KCPW News) On Wednesday, KCPW reported that due to the shutdown of the federal government, some 66,000 Utahns would be left with limited access to a supplemental food assistance program known as WIC. WIC assists low-income women, infants, and children in ensuring they receive proper nutrition. In Salt Lake County, the county council approved emergency funding to keep WIC clinics open for counseling, but they were still unable to dispense new food vouchers.
As an update to that story, KCPW reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has stepped in to fund all WIC clinics in Utah for the month of October.
The federal government has issued the state of Utah 2.5 million dollars in emergency funds in order to keep Utah’s WIC program going for the rest of the month. That means that every clinic in Utah is now able to distribute new food vouchers, take in new clients, and offer services such as nutritional education and referrals for healthcare or social services.
If the shutdown goes longer than the month of October, Utah’s WIC program will again have to figure out a way to secure enough funding to continue operations.
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