Pickens County Family Connections – Helping Families

Collaborative Partner Spotlight: Georgia WIC – Helping Families Grow Healthy for Life
WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children. The WIC Program provides nutrition assessments, health screenings, breastfeeding counseling, referral to other health and social services, and vouchers for healthy foods. WIC also provides infant formula and special needs formula for infants, children and moms at high risk. WIC also has a farmers market once or twice a year. Parents have an opportunity at this time to get vouchers for produce from a local farmer. The local farmer sets up in the parking lot and redeems the vouchers and the parent walks away with fresh local produce. It’s a win-win situation for our families and the local farmer.

We would like you to meet Sabrina Shipley, Competent Professional Authority (CPA), for the WIC Program in Pickens and Gilmer Counties. Sabrina has a unique qualification as CPA for the WIC program. She was once a recipient of WIC services. Sabrina was pursuing a degree in nursing as a single mom with three young children, Brandon, 3 years old, Chris, 4 years old, and Nicole, 9 years old. Since Sabrina was both a student and a single mom she met the WIC program requirements. WIC helped provide nutritious foods for her kids while she attended classes and managed a very tight budget.

Once Sabrina graduated, for the very first time she bought a home and was able to provide for herself and her kids. They felt very successful. Several years later, she went to work for an organization called Northwest Home Health where she met and married her husband of 22 years, Tom Shipley. She got a great bonus of three more kids, Thad, Erin, and Nathan.

In 2007 Sabrina answered an advertisement for a position at the WIC clinic in Gilmer County to perform Nutritional Assessments. She applied because she knew how much WIC had helped her. And she got the position. She has worked in both Pickens and Gilmer Counties for several years now as Pickens is still a part-time clinic. Pickens clinic is currently open Monday 7:30 to 4:30, Tuesday 7:30 to 7:00 and Friday 7:30 to 1:00. It would be wonderful if Pickens County could have a full time WIC clinic.

Sabrina is thankful for the WIC Program because their focus is nutrition for Women and Infants and Children. Even if you don’t qualify for food stamps, you may qualify for WIC due to higher income guidelines. You can help Sabrina and support the WIC Program in other ways. Share information about the WIC Program if you know someone who might qualify. If you find yourself in line at the grocery store behind a WIC participant, please be patient. You are helping a child get good nutrition!

The WIC Program is designed to help keep pregnant women, breastfeeding moms, babies and children healthy and strong. You are eligible for WIC if you: (1) Live in Georgia, (2) Are a pregnant or breastfeeding mother, a new mother, an infant or child under 5 years of age, (3) Have a nutritional need, (4) Have a household income that meets income guidelines. You are also eligible if you currently receive Food Stamps or Medicaid. Parents, guardians, or foster parents also may apply for WIC for their children.

For more information about the WIC Program in North Georgia or to schedule an appointment, please call: 1-866-WIC-WORKS (1-866-942-9675) or visit WIC online at: www.northgawic.com. The Pickens County WIC office is located in the Pickens County Health Department at 60 Health Way, Jasper, GA 30143.

Pickens County Family Connections (PCFC) is a partnership of over 30 organizations working together to research the needs of children and families in our community, please visit http://pickens.gafcp.org or call Jacque Elwarner, Coordinator, at 706-253-2319. PCFC is located at 250 W Church St, Jasper, GA 30143.