Gage Park WIC clinic brings nutrition services next to grocery shopping

Families using WIC in Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood can now handle enrollment, get nutrition advice and shop for eligible groceries in neighboring spaces. Near North Health and Catholic Charities have brought the services together to make the process more convenient for parents and children.

The clinic began operating in the space on Sept. 1, according to Amelia Stone, Near North Health’s WIC program manager. Families can sign up for the Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, meet with a nutritionist and then visit the grocery store next door. The store carries approved foods that families select according to their individual benefit lists.

That arrangement can reduce the work involved in figuring out which groceries qualify. Silvia Miranda, who visited with her 3-year-old son, Davi, first received WIC benefits nearly 30 years ago while pregnant with her oldest daughter. She recalled making separate trips for appointments and shopping, and sometimes finding that a store did not accept her benefits or lacked needed products. She said the new setup makes shopping easier and helps her benefits go further.

During their visit, Miranda and Davi chose cereal, milk, cheese and produce. Staff explained the quantities available on her food list, and at checkout she learned that she still had $7 available for fruits and vegetables. The visit illustrated how on-site assistance can help families understand and use their benefits.

Nutritionists also help parents interpret their shopping lists, suggest recipes and answer questions about feeding children. The clinic provides breastfeeding support and referrals to other services, including assistance connecting with SNAP and Medicaid enrollment. Those services give families a place to ask questions beyond what to put in the grocery cart.

For Near North employee Celina Delgado, the work draws on her own experience as a former WIC participant. She described helping families through the process as personally meaningful. Alongside the adjacent store, that staff assistance is a central part of the location’s approach to serving neighborhood families.

The clinic operates Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Stone said. The grocery store also has weekend hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., giving families an opportunity to shop outside the clinic’s weekday schedule.