DeKalb County, GA — Participants served by the DeKalb County Board of Health’s Women, Infants and Children program will start receiving an eWIC card on Oct. 11 to purchase approved foods.

The eWIC card works similarly to a debit card, by swiping at the checkout, and entering a PIN. Previously, WIC participants have been issued paper vouchers to buy approved foods. The eWIC card distribution will occur in phases. WIC participants will continue to use paper vouchers until they receive an eWIC card at their next appointment, according to a press release.

“This is an excellent and long-awaited technological evolution for the WIC Program,” said DeKalb County Board of Health WIC Program Manager Courtney Underwood. “The implementation of eWIC allows our participants to obtain the nourishing foods for themselves and their children, without being stigmatized at the checkout counter for holding up the line. To anyone else, it will look like a normal transaction at the PIN pad.”

In addition to DeKalb, other health districts in Georgia slated to begin eWIC benefit issuance on Oct. 11 include GNR Health (Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale), North (Gainesville) and Northeast (Athens).

Georgia WIC is a special supplemental nutrition program that provides nutritional supplements, breastfeeding education and support, nutrition education and referrals to many income-eligible families throughout the state. Income-eligible families include pregnant women, breastfeeding women, postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five. Custodial/single fathers, legal guardians, and foster parents of an infant or child can also receive WIC benefits for the eligible infant or child.

For more information about the WIC Program at the DeKalb County Board of Health, including eligibility
requirements, visit dekalbhealth.net/services/women-infants-children or call 404-508-7777.