As a participant in Community Bridges Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, Maria found the courage to ask for help. Now a mother of four, Maria says her first two children were both born prematurely.
The WIC staff’s expertise in breastfeeding and nutrition, and their calming and reassuring presence, helped her overcome initial pressures to forego breastfeeding because of her children’s early births.
As Maria puts it, when beginning to breastfeed, babies are not the only ones who are learning. The mothers are, too.
“Just having the confidence to ask for help is hard, but I strongly believed in breastfeeding—I know the benefits,” says Maria. “WIC, the people who work here, really helped me. Their classes, the resources, the checkups … Every baby is like a different experience. For me, the power you get from being able to breastfeed was part of the reason that I liked to come.”
On Friday, August 9, Community Bridges’ WIC Program will host the 17th Annual Breastfeeding Health Fair and Walk in Watsonville Plaza. This family-friendly event, from 3:00pm to 5:30pm, will feature fun activities, a live DJ, community resource booths, healthy snacks, free T-shirts, raffles, and a human milk donation site. The highlight is a rally-type walk down Main Street at 5:00pm.
It will serve as a chance to locally celebrate the 50th Anniversary of WIC nationally and National Breastfeeding Awareness Month.
Since its establishment in 1974, WIC has been a fundamental public health investment for growing families. Addressing food insecurity, WIC provides essential nutrition that contributes to a healthy start in life and reduces chronic diseases and associated health costs.
In Santa Cruz County, the WIC program was established during the official incorporation of Community Bridges—then called Food & Nutrition Services—in 1977.
Since then, the program has diligently served generations of women, infants and children, regardless of their background or status. Currently, the Community Bridges WIC Program serves approximately 550 pregnant women in Santa Cruz and North Monterey counties each month, primarily Spanish-speaking agricultural workers. It also serves roughly 800 breastfeeding women, 1,100 infants, and 3,800 children under 5, and is constantly looking for ways of how it can better serve and enroll more local mothers and children.
“Our local team have from the start of the federal WIC program ensured local families in need receive food assistance, education and support throughout their birth to 5-year journey,” Community Bridges CEO Raymon Cancino says. “We have worked to ensure healthy local food options and progressive breastfeeding support strategies that promote bonding and early start to healthy eating.”
CREATING HEALTHY STARTS & LIFESTYLES
In California, WIC serves nearly 1 million participants monthly across 84 local agencies, with half of California’s babies enrolled. WIC also connects families to critical resources like Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, immunizations, childcare, and more. Economically, statewide WIC supports local businesses with over $70 million spent monthly in grocery stores, military commissaries, and farmers markets. Locally, WIC contributes approximately $450,000 to the local grocer economy and $45,000 to local farmers’ markets.
In its 50-year tenure, WIC has consistently fostered positive health outcomes for those facing financial barriers and lack of access to critical resources. Numerous studies have shown WIC’s effectiveness. These accomplishments include:
- Reduced premature births
- Reduced low and very low birth-weight babies
- Reduced fetal and infant deaths
- Reduced incidence of low-iron anemia
- Increased access to prenatal care earlier in pregnancy
- Increased pregnant women’s consumption of key nutrients such as iron, protein, calcium, and Vitamins A and C
- Increased immunization rates
- Improved diet quality
- Increased access to regular health care
A recent study led by a team at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, further underscores the importance of WIC. The research revealed that pregnant individuals enrolled in WIC are less likely to experience poor pregnancy outcomes such as gestational diabetes, preterm birth, blood transfusion, and ICU admission for both parent and child.
The Ohio State study analyzed over 1.9 million first-time pregnant individuals aged 18-44 and their babies across 3,120 counties from 2016 to 2019. The findings were striking: Counties with increased WIC enrollment saw a 30% reduction in gestational diabetes, a 50% reduction in ICU admissions for parents, and a 30% reduction in blood transfusions at birth. For children, there was nearly a 30% reduction in preterm births and a 20% reduction in ICU admissions.
“Food insecurity is a major issue in the U.S., especially with rising food prices and potential congressional cuts to WIC funding,” said Dr. Kartik Venkatesh, the study’s lead investigator. “Our data prove the relationship between WIC and improved pregnancy health, even as WIC enrollment has declined.”
WHY WE WALK
An essential part of WIC’s mission is to normalize breastfeeding and provide vital community support, recognizing it as a crucial preventive health measure. Breastfeeding significantly reduces the risks of obesity, asthma, diabetes, and respiratory infections in babies, while supporting cognitive development. For mothers, the benefits include lower risks of ovarian and breast cancer, hypertension, and heart disease.
Despite its benefits, many women face significant barriers to breastfeeding, including community, healthcare, workplace, and familial challenges. These barriers are prevalent in high-poverty areas, which also suffer from higher rates of obesity, asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ “Healthy People 2030” goals aim to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates to 42.4% at six months and breastfeeding at one year to 54.1%. Community Bridges WIC Program mothers are already excelling, with 36% exclusively breastfeeding at six months and 60% continuing at one year, both marks well above state averages.
Community Bridges WIC Program has continually evolved to meet the needs of thousands of pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children. Through new initiatives and programs, the WIC Program has sought to bridge service gaps for difficult-to-reach populations such as immigrants, indigenous-language speakers, and those in remote areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
This dedication to service inspired the creation of a Breastfeeding Awareness Month event, which has grown into the annual Walk and Health Fair. Initially held at Community Bridges Headquarters, the event was a small gathering showcasing a new on-site lactation center and Peer Counseling program. Community Bridges was one of the original 15 programs in the state to receive the Peer Counseling grant. In its early years, the event featured 2-3 partner tables and attracted about 35-40 attendees.
As the event grew over its first four years with help from the Santa Cruz County Breastfeeding Coalition, it moved to Watsonville City Plaza. Traditionally held on the second Friday in August to avoid clashing with the Strawberry Festival, the event is conducted with the Watsonville Farmers Market to increase visibility and highlight community connections that WIC helps create.
The event has expanded to include over 20 partners, transforming into a comprehensive health fair featuring a walk and drawing around 150-200 participants, not including community partners. Over the years, WIC has added prominent speakers, a social media booth, food tastings, raffles, and a DJ. We celebrated WIC’s 40th anniversary at the walk and are now celebrating its 50th.
“I am proud to be a part of WIC and its heritage,” says Program Director Dana Wagner. “WIC’s counseling and education are ever evolving to meet current health and nutrition needs. But our core mission and values have remained constant. We strive to help families in underserved communities get a better, more equitable start in life.”
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