Gave up on WIC -vent

rfraydel

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 4:52 pm

I personally have been very lax with my Wic checks for the past year. I understand how you feel--sometimes it's just not worth it. My state thankfully does not make you get everything on the check or the exact measurements (you can get smaller amounts), but they are constantly changing qualifying foods and it becomes a real hassle.
As far as the peanut allergy comment, I believe your doctor could write you a prescription in that case, so peanut butter would be substituted with something else. They don't do a very practical job with their checks, but there are SOME things that can be altered a bit.
I have been thinking about if it's worth it myself lately, but again, for me, I can just skip a check if I want to. So it helps where it has to, and it can't really harm me if I don't let it. I just don't take the whole program as seriously as I used to. Hatzlacha. Smile

Atali

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 5:12 pm

Nasty Amother,

I asked Yael to look into your identity. Nasty personal attacks are totally unacceptable on Imamother.

For the record, plenty of working lower-income families receive WIC, and the inefficiency of government programs (which use tax dollars, of course) should concern us all.

If you have any questions you can PM me.

Mama Bear

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 5:16 pm

I have tried NUMEROUS TIMES and have been unsuccessful in finding where to give away my extra packets of cheese. I did find where to give away peanut butter and extra baby food, but not cheese. You need a fridge for that. there are no food pantries in willy. I feel stupid calling up r' mordche polatschek's place and offering 3 packets of cheese. I dont think they use milchigs, and it would make a dent in their needs, it would be like donating fifty cents to kupas ha'ir or something.

I dont make pizza bread often. I use up about one packet of cheese a month and am allotted about 3. after 3 months I suddenly have 10 packages of cheese sitting in the fridge.

Twizzlers

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 5:21 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

wow. next time you got 10 packages of cheese, give me a call please. we go thru cheese like water here, and no, we are not on WIC

BinahYeteirah

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 5:59 pm

I find it very interesting that WIC in other states actually encourages participants to give food away that they don't want. Here they are very clear that the food is only to be used in your own household, ideally for those members of the household for whom the checks are issued. The workers repeatedly question whether we actually drink all the milk that we are given and they offer to reduce the amount on the checks. They hand out flyers stating that one should use manufacturer's coupons with the WIC checks in order to reduce the cost of the food for the program, so they can serve more people, etc. They seem to be actively encouraging people to get only those products that they will use in order to make the WIC funds go farther.

BinahYeteirah

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 6:02 pm

Barbara wrote:

The fact is, there's many a WIC recipient as to whom that's a good thing.

I'd suggest donating to a soup kitchen if you don't need the items.

Perhaps, but you also have those few people who do things like sell their formula for crack.

Here they'd rather people not get the food that just give it away. I guess I would donate things if I lived in a state like NY where that seems to be the best option.

amother

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 6:20 pm

MB, ask your DH to ask his shul...They needs lots of milk for coffee, and cereal goes well with misheluchim who devour the cheese and cereal. I have my grocery deliver it directly to the shul, doesn't even come thru my house. The shames bentches me. And you can ask your wic worker to exchanhe the pb on your checks for beans, it is interchangeable thru them. Then you'll have some nutritious soups or arbes for shabbos!

BusyBeeMommy

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 6:47 pm

Count me in with one of those who is exasperated with the WIC system. So many times I've gone to the store only for them not to have one item on my check thereby making me lose the entire check. They refused to sell me some WIC stuff once because they only had extra-large and medium eggs and my check was written out for large eggs. And I remember the time that my check said 24 jars of baby food (I think?), and the store had only 23, so there went my trip especially to the grocery for this.

Another crazy thing is that in the numerous stores that I've been to, most do not have the WIC items labled clearly and I ran marathons back and forth in places like Shop Rite to get the exact cheese or baby food jar or juice with tens of people waiting behind me in line, cursing under their breath. I felt wonderful.

And yet something else. I work full time. Am I supposed to take off a day every two months to chase my kids around in the WIC waiting room for up to 2 hours so that I can get my checks?

Like other government programs, these are all just ploys to save them some money. They got me to quit their crazy program with all their rules and regulations. I was paying a babysitter to watch my kids so that I could go to the special WIC grocery (there are very few around my area) and schlep home the gallons of milk and baby food jars. I realized I was crazy and the minimal amount of money I was getting was not worth the insanity I was put through.

And to think that they wanna run the healthcare system too? Oy vey!

Mama Bear

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 6:59 pm

I use the milk and cereal. my checks dont even cover our cereal and milk output of the week. the cheese is what really stays left over. ad the bread. I dont eat bread, I eat crackers. I shoudl exchange all the bread for rice next time.

wow, my older kid is getting off the program iyh in a few months. There was a time we had 3 ppl on the program! soon we'll only have 1. boo hoo.

Mama Bear

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 7:59 pm

ra_mom wrote:

You can freeze the cheese until you find someone to give it to.
Or prepare pans of baked ziti, freeze them, and give them to Kimpeturin in need of suppers.

you can freeze cheese?
I dont have a milchig oven or room in my freezer and have never tasted baked ziti or cooked food for a kimpeturin Very Happy

. but it's a nice thought.

ra_mom

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 8:03 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

ra_mom wrote:

You can freeze the cheese until you find someone to give it to.
Or prepare pans of baked ziti, freeze them, and give them to Kimpeturin in need of suppers.

you can freeze cheese?
I dont have a milchig oven or room in my freezer and have never tasted baked ziti or cooked food for a kimpeturin Very Happy

. but it's a nice thought.

Yes, cheese freezes wonderfully. (Milk on the other hand separates when frozen, and loses some of its nutrients. Not that I have never frozen milk. I have.)
As for the pans of baked ziti... prepare them raw (with cooked pasta), and freeze. Any Kimpturin will appreciate a ready raw meal for her freezer, that she can pop in her oven and bake fresh.

amother

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 8:40 pm

I guess we are lucky here in ca
we have a store thats pretty local to me that sells wic products only so theyre always in stock (except for c"y milk which gets delivered 2 x a week.

theres a place on the check where they write the amt of what the items cost. so if u dont use the whole check - they write a smaller amt.

the only thing is, they dont have pas yisroel bread or oatmeal, so I have bags and bags of brown rice. and since I dont really know any good recipes for brown rice, I dont use it, and it just accumalates.

also, I have gotten calls from the center when im late to pick up checks and theyll offer to send it to me.
the problem is when the kids are split up for renewal so u have to come in and wait for an hour with one kid and then the next month do it with the next kid.

in their favor, if u forget some papers or proof if income or address, theyll give u one month of checks and let u bring the proof the next month

ra_mom

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 8:42 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

ra_mom wrote:

You can freeze the cheese until you find someone to give it to.
Or prepare pans of baked ziti, freeze them, and give them to Kimpeturin in need of suppers.

you can freeze cheese?
I dont have a milchig oven or room in my freezer and have never tasted baked ziti or cooked food for a kimpeturin Very Happy

. but it's a nice thought.

If you're looking to give away the cheese... I'll be in Willy next week. Seriously. Smile

ra_mom

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 8:47 pm

amother wrote:

I got this idea for brown rice in the oven from Paddington Bear. It's super easy and really delicious. Instant side dish. (I modified it a bit.)

1 cup brown rice
2-1/2 cups water
1 large carrot, shredded
1 tomato, chopped
2-3 Tbsp parsley flakes
2 Tbsp oil
1-1/2 tsp salt
4 dashes garlic powder
4 dashes onion powder
2-3 dashes black pepper

Place all ingredients in a 7x10 pan. Cover tighly.
Bake at 375, for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

(Btw, if you are able to get short grain brown rice, you can make a delicious rice stew for Shabbos.)

amother

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 9:29 pm

In Lakewood the heimishe stores let you switch the item if you don't want it for something that equals the same amount. Many times I will buy 2 oj's and a dozen eggs instead of the cheese. Also many times I will take a container of butter instead of milk. I think I get about 20 gallons of milk a month it is no way possible for me to use all this up. Also if I don't want to use the check at once then they told me that as long as I remember I can only take two milks instead of four and take it next time or vice versa take a milk and give them the check the next week.
Also the office is so nice in Lakewood and so accommodating I have no complaints. B"H.

Marigold

Tue, Apr 20 2010, 10:21 pm

ra_mom wrote:

amother wrote: