Tompkins County WIC Program

Tips for Finding Formula

1. Call your infant’s healthcare provider to see if they have samples available. They can also suggest nutritionally similar formulas that may be more readily available in stores.

2. Families can visit the New York State vendor website to locate WIC approved stores (use the “find a WIC store” tab).

3. Save yourself a trip out and call the store ahead of time to see if the formula you need is available or when their next shipment is expected.

4. If you don’t see it on the shelf, ask a staff person if formula is kept anywhere else in the store, such as up front or at a customer service desk.

5. If you are currently using the formula in powder form, look for the concentrate or ready to use formulas. Call your local WIC agency to change your food package.

6. Contact WIC: our staff can work with you to develop a plan. You do not need to face this challenge alone.

7. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly advises against making homemade formula using other beverages in its place. Although recipes for homemade formulas circulating on the internet may seem healthy or less expensive, they may not be safe and may not meet your baby’s nutritional needs.

8. Look online for options available but be sure to only order from well-recognized distributors and pharmacies. Do not buy formula online from people you don’t know on social media sites, online auctions, or from overseas.

Further Information

Handwashing

Mother & Baby Contact

To reduce risk of transmission of COVID-19 and flu  from the mother to the newborn, mother should wear a facemask and practice hand hygiene before each feeding or close contact with her newborn.

Breastfeeding

Current evidence suggests that breast milk is not a source of transmission of Covid 19 or the flu . When possible, breastfeeding mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 or the flu (regardless of vaccination status) should continue to breastfeed while taking hygiene precautions. If  temporary separation is required,  mothers who intend to breastfeed should be encouraged to express their milk to establish and maintain milk supply. This expressed breastmilk should be fed to the newborn by a healthy caregiver.

If a mother and newborn do room in and the mother wishes to feed at the breast, she should put on a facemask and practice hand hygiene before each feeding.

Click the links below for more information:

COVID-19 Vaccine and Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and COVID-19

Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and COVID-19 (Spanish)

Flu Guidance

COVID 19 Vaccination

Our new eWIC Features Make Shopping Easier Than Ever!

The new eWIC card is here, no more paper checks!

Everyone in the household’s benefits will start and end on the same day.

No more WIC ID cards, you just need your eWIC card and your PIN number

Click here to check your card benefits online

Download the WIC2GO App

Click here for more information

WIC Vendors in Tompkins County

Tops, North Triphammer Rd., Ithaca.

Walmart, Fairgrounds Memorial Pkwy., Ithaca.

P&C Fresh Market, Pine Tree Rd., Ithaca

Clarks Food Market,  Dryden, NY.

Wegmans, South Meadow St., Ithaca

Byrne Dairy (new location), Elmira Rd., Ithaca

No Longer Accepting WIC: Target on Catherwood Rd Ithaca,

Temporarily not accepting WIC: Shur-Save, Rt. 96, Trumansburg

Resources in Tompkins County

Farmers’ Markets by Area

Tompkins Community Action

WIC Foods and Formula

Section 8 – Housing Assistance

Tompkins County Health Department

Smoking Cessation

Human Services Coalition – 211

Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services

Child Development Council

Cornell Cooperative Extension

Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca

The Office for New Americans

Prenatal and Postpartum Support

Healthy Pregnancy

Tips for Pregnancy

My Plate Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Making Healthy Choices to Prevent Birth Defects

Coping with Morning Sickness

Stages of Pregnancy

Staying Healthy and Safe While Pregnant

Mothers and Babies

Pre & Post Partum Resources

MOMS Program (Medicaid Obstetrical and Maternal Services)

Ithaca Pregnancy Center

Womens Opportunity Center

Postpartum Resource Center of New York

The Advocacy Center

Mental Health for Mom

Postpartum Depression Fact Sheet

Moms Mental Health Matters

Infants

Infant Feeding

Infant Hunger Cues

MyPlate Infants

Starting Solid Foods

Teach Baby to Drink from a Cup

Infant Safety and Development

Safer Spaces for Babies

Safe Sleep

Tummy Time to Walking

Children

Healthy Children

Smart Snacking

Everyday Ideas to Move More

Tips to Reduce Screen Time

Healthy Teeth

Have you tried all the different positions while breastfeeding?

“Try all the positions until you and your baby are comfortable. If you are struggling to find the right hold for you and your baby, contact your WIC and breastfeeding peer counselors”.

 Watch this video for more info: https://youtu.be/z4ikF_NwjEU

Please click for more info: https://wicbreastfeeding.fns.usda.gov/5-breastfeeding-holds-try

How about another video from Global Health Media Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y–syZR0u1E

Weekly Breastfeeding Group

Breakfast Banana Split

Baked Chicken Empanada

Try this baked chicken empanda

https://www.diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes/baked-chicken-empanadas.html

Eat Well on $4.00 a Day!

WIC is one of the first lines of defense against hunger for the pregnant women, mothers, infants and children enrolled. Our goal is to give food packages that will support healthy pregnancies, and healthy  families. The nutritionists at WIC also want to equip you to eat well by giving recipe ideas that will encourage your kids to try new things, maintain a healthy weight, and learn to enjoy food as they grow. Below you’ll find a cookbook designed by Leanne Brown, who used the SNAP guidelines to put her recipes together. Families, students, elderly, and single parents are just a few of the people we hope will benefit from this cookbook.

“I designed these recipes to fit the budgets of people living on SNAP, the
US program that used to be called food stamps. If you’re on SNAP, you
already know that the benefit formulas are complicated, but the rule of
thumb is that you end up with $4 per person, per day to spend on food.”

-Leanne Brown, Author of Good And Cheap- Eat Well on $4/ Day

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Dessert

Snacks

Staples

Additional Resources

Michelle Hall, WIC Coordinator

“There is a lot to love getting to know the families in Tompkins County. I love working with families, providing support and encouragement to build a healthy future.”

Background: “I am a mom of two, started working in the WIC Program in 1996.  I graduated from Syracuse University with a passion for Nutrition.  After becoming a mom, I realized it was important to work in a job where I could continue supporting other mothers, fathers, or caregivers.  Raising children isn’t easy, it takes a village.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with the families in the WIC program and with my colleagues.”

Fun facts:  “My kids and I love camping in the Adirondacks. I like to play cards. I’m the first person in my family to go to college and complete my degree.”

Cindy Mallery, MS, RDN, CLC, Breastfeeding Coordinator, WIC Nutritionist

“I have always been interested in how nutrition and breastfeeding can influence our health.  I love working for WIC as I enjoy getting to know so many great people in our diverse community.”

Background: “I have a BS in nutrition from Syracuse University and an MS in clinical nutrition from Cornell University.  I started working for WIC 1986, when I was a young mother, and I was also a WIC participant.”

Fun facts: “I enjoy hiking, biking, cross country skiing and playing music with my friends.”

Kelsie Fitch, RDN, MPH, CLC, Nutrition Coordinator, WIC Nutritionist

“I love building bonds with my WIC participants while I help them improve their health through nutrition and breastfeeding.”

Background: “I received my bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Arizona, completed my dietetic internship through Syracuse University, and soon will have my masters in maternal and child public health from the University of Minnesota.”

Fun facts: “I have a twin brother and have run 4 half marathons”

Christine Knight, MS, WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor

“As a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, I love the opportunity to talk with, and provide support to, pregnant and breastfeeding moms in my community. I was a WIC participant 20 years ago when I was a new mom, and it feels great to be a part of this amazing program and team of people now.”

Background: “I have a BA in Cultural Anthropology and an MS in Biomedical Anthropology from Binghamton. I am a mom of four wild children, ranging in age from 5-20.”

Fun Facts: “I love road trips, camping (ok, maybe glamping), sitting by a campfire, taking walks, riding my bike, snuggling my kids, catching up with my girlfriends, meditating, and coloring.”

Molly Snedden, WIC Nutritionist , Outreach Coordinator

“What I love about WIC is diving into the nitty-gritty of feeding a young family, connecting with caregivers, and being a resource to help you meet your health and wellness goals.”

Background: “I have a BS in Environmental Science from Binghamton University and a BS in Human Nutrition from UMass Amherst. I started working for WIC in 2021 in Cortland County and moved to Tompkins County in the fall of 2022. I’ve been working in child nutrition for over 15 years, in AmeriCorps and Summer Camp Programs, and then as a School Food Service Director.

Fun facts: “I’m happy to be back in Tompkins County, where I grew up, after 20 years in New England. When I’m not at work, you’ll find me out on a walk or down at the lake with my husband and two young kids.”

Veronica Peters, (she/her), WIC Clerk

“I have been a previous Participant of WIC. I absolutely loved how helpful everyone was, especially with my breastfeeding journey!”

Background:  “I am a mom of a very energetic boy. I have lived in Tompkins County my whole life. I knew from the start that I’ve always wanted to help people but never knew what that was going to look like until I became a mother. Becoming a mother is something that is very life changing and the WIC staff really helped me navigate and adjust to a new lifestyle. I want to be able to do the same for our current and future participants.”

Fun Fact: “I am the first person in my family to go to college straight out of high school. I enjoy going camping and spending valuable time with my family.”

Bea Ives, (she/her), WIC Clerk

“I was inspired to work for the WIC program because I enjoy helping others.  I realized that WIC provides much more than supplemental foods to families and working here provides meaningful work for me.”

Background: I grew up in Texas and moved to Ithaca in 1997. I joined the Tompkins County Whole Health WIC program in March of 2024. I have an associate degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Tompkins Community College.  I am a mom of 3 adult children.

Fun Fact: Outside of work I love to go out to dinner and enjoy listening to music, especially the band her son plays in. I am  looking forward to the birth of her grandchildren in 2025.