Press release from Henderson County Department of Public Health:
The Henderson County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program will roll out the eWIC debit cards on May 9. The debit card replaces the paper voucher making a simpler checkout experience for WIC users.
WIC Nutrition Program Director Lori Bradley said that the cards will allow participants to buy only the foods they need. Participants will no longer need to separate WIC foods from other purchases. The cards also mean reduced monthly printing for WIC staff and time saved for WIC participants.
“The debit card will mean a new and improved WIC shopping experience for mothers and their children,” said Bradley. “Once you have the eWIC debit card, the food benefits will load automatically to the card. In addition, participants will be able to view their benefit balance, transaction history, WIC-approved foods, future benefits and change their PIN number all online through a mobile app, mybnft.com.”
For WIC approved vendors, it eliminates the need for separate transactions. Vendors have upgraded their systems in preparation for the new cards.
To receive the debit card, participants need to simply show up for their usual WIC appointment; no sign-up is required. Walk-ins are also welcome. The WIC Program is located at 1200 Spartanburg Highway, Suite 100.
Approximately 2,100 Henderson County clients participate in WIC, a supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children under the age 5. The program provides healthy supplemental foods and nutrition counseling for pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children. All WIC programs in North Carolina public health departments are expected to transfer to the debit card system by June 1.
To learn more about eligibility and how to sign up for WIC, visit hendersoncountync.gov/health or call (828) 692-4223.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.