Olmsted County WIC celebrates 50 years of helping families improve health and nutrition

Olmsted County Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is celebrating 50 years of empowering families, building healthier communities, and nurturing the future. 

WIC started as a pilot project with doctors prescribing healthy food as medicine. It grew into a U.S. public health success story supporting generations of families and individuals from pregnancy to age 5. 

When Olmsted County started its WIC program in 1975, 41 participants were enrolled. Today, Olmsted County WIC serves 4,700 participants annually through food benefits and one-on-one breastfeeding peer support. 

“WIC has helped thousands of families in Olmsted County,” said Olmsted County WIC Manager Wendy O’Leary. “We have been able to offer essential resources and support to ensure children have a healthy start in life.” 

Throughout the years, Olmsted County WIC has grown in how it offers services. In 1993, the program started distributing coupons for participants to purchase fresh produce at local farmers markets. This is an initiative that still occurs today.  

Olmsted County WIC implemented its Peer Breastfeeding Support Program in 2011. This program connects women from the community with parents to share their personal breastfeeding experiences and provide support and information. The program received the 2021 Gold Premier Breastfeeding Award of Excellence from the US Department of Agriculture.  

In 2019, Olmsted County WIC started providing pop-up clinics to reduce barriers for residents to participate. These pop-ups bring WIC services directly to the community to make it easier for families to enroll and receive healthy food benefits. The first pop-up clinics took place at Head Start orientation in Rochester. Pop-up clinic locations now include the Jeremiah Program, Head Start, and the Olmsted Medical Center NW office.  

“As we celebrate 50 years of WIC, we’re proud to continue evolving to meet the needs of our community,” O’Leary said. “We strive to make access to healthy food and nutritional guidance easy for everyone.” 

Minnesota WIC has also evolved over the years. The program moved to digital platforms, transitioning from paper to online applications, providing remote services during the pandemic, and launching the My MN WIC app eight years ago. Additionally, participants now use an eWIC card to scan and receive WIC food benefits instead of using paper vouchers.  

An online shopping pilot was also launched statewide with Hy-Vee stores in 2024. This program allows participants to order and pay for their WIC foods online and pick them up at their local participating Hy-Vee store. 

Those interested in participating in the Olmsted County WIC program can apply online or call 507-328-7555 to schedule an appointment.