Mom Who Just Qualified For WIC Does A ‘Haul’ Of All The Free Food She Received At The Grocery Store
She emphasized her gratitude for the support WIC provides, which enables her to make nutritious milk for her baby.
triloks / Canva Pro In hopes of helping other low-income mothers who are struggling to feed their children, one woman shared the various meals she receives after qualifying for the WIC program — and they all look delicious!
However, after sharing her haul, some people criticized the woman for taking advantage of the program and claiming she should not have had a child if she couldn’t afford it.
Now, the woman wants to break the stigma surrounding welfare programs that are implemented to help struggling parents and show others that they will receive more than just cheap and unhealthy food from the program.
The mother revealed the free haul she received from WIC.
For those who are unaware, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC, is a federal assistance program in the United States that provides nutrition education, supplemental foods, healthcare referrals, and support to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, as well as infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.
This typically includes low-income single mothers who also work to financially support their children and may not have the funds for weekly grocery trips.
WIC provides nutritious foods to supplement diets and help breastfeeding mothers increase their milk supply. These foods typically include items like milk, eggs, cheese, fruits, vegetables, cereals, and whole grains.
In a TikTok video that has been viewed over 280,000 times, one breastfeeding mother, Sage Sensenig, who works as a midwife in training, revealed the haul of food she received from WIC.
“Since it’s halfway through the month, I only got a half month’s worth of benefits, but it’s still an insane amount of food,” she said.
Sensenig added that her haul did not contain any baby formula supplements for her three-month-old since the baby is exclusively breastfeeding and does not require any formula.
For fruits and veggies, she received all frozen items, including two bags of broccoli florets, a bag of edamame, three bags of vegetable stir fry, cauliflower, mango chunks, and dark cherries.
“That’s something I normally don’t have a budget for, so I’m really excited about that,” Sensenig said.
She added that she has recently been “dipping her toes into the waters of tinned fish” and luckily received a tinned fish benefit from WIC, where she was able to get a variety of tinned fish.
Along with the veggies, fruit, and fish, Sensenig also received cheese, peanut butter, grape juice, cereal, whole wheat bread, eggs, milk, and chickpeas.
Sensenig was also given a receipt that revealed all of the WIC benefits she used, how much she had left, and her original balance.
After the most recent haul, Sensenig explained that she still had $20 worth of fruits and veggies, seven more half gallons of milk, two cans of beans, 20 oz of canned fish, and a dozen eggs.
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“I’m really excited about this! It’s gonna be such a blessing for our family,” she shared. “I’m really interested in de-stigmatizing and breaking down how WIC really works.”
While most people praised the dedicated mother for being candid about her WIC haul and giving a glimpse of it to other mothers who may benefit from the program, a few trolls found their way into the comments section to share their own opinions about WIC.
Some of the haters believed that Sensenig was taking advantage of a program made possible by taxpaying Americans.
“You're welcome, by the way, from the taxpayers of America,” one TikTok user commented.
“Yet people who choose not to bring children into the world, because they can’t afford to do so and ‘make too much’ for benefits, get punished thanks to people like you,” another user wrote.
Others argued that qualifying for WIC was “nothing to be proud of” and shamed Sensenig for showing off her haul.
However, she claimed that it was not her intention to demonstrate her pride but rather gratitude.
“There is nothing wrong with using a benefit that we pay for with our taxes! And yes, even working parents qualify,” she added in a follow-up video.
“I’m so grateful that I’m able to get WIC benefits so I can make nutritious milk for my baby!”
With their services, WIC has been able to provide nutritious meals for over 6 million American families.
However, providing meals is not all the program does. WIC also provides mothers with breastfeeding education, counseling, and a support network, including referrals to other services and programs.
Utilizing WIC, especially if it is for the health and nutrition of their children, is not something any mother should be made to feel ashamed of.
Luckily, the majority of people expressed their gratitude to the mother for raising awareness of the program so that other families could apply if they needed it.
“I'm a WIC employee, and I applaud you for doing this! You probably helped so many to see the options,” one TikTok user commented.
“I LOVE THIS for you. This is an amazing benefit. You can typically get/apply a produce benefit at local farmers markets too!” another user wrote.
Sensenig even shared a video tutorial on how to prepare one of her favorite recipes using the WIC products: broccoli cheddar soup!
Despite how some Internet trolls may perceive the WIC program, it is helping countless mothers put food on the table for their babies while they work to support them, and it is nothing they should ever feel ashamed or embarrassed about.
For information regarding WIC benefits, click here.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.