Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — As many continue to struggle with high food prices just days before Thanksgiving, a nutrition program that helps feed more than 20,000 local families could be in jeopardy.

WIC, a federal nutrition program for women, infants, and children, is in limbo, and close to 500,000 families nationwide could feel the brunt of the impact.

Whitley Hasty is a local mother of two. She first joined the WIC program in 2015 when she was pregnant with her now 8-year-old daughter, Amelia.

“The supplemental nutrition program gives us referrals to other healthcare providers,” said Hasty, a WIC outreach specialist. “It provided breastfeed support for mothers participating… and it gave us well-tailored monthly food packages.”

However, according to Sen. Chuck Schumer, funding for new WIC enrollees will run out by January 2024 if Congress doesn’t act soon.

Schumer calls WIC “one of the most successful federal feeding programs.” During his visit to Foodlink in Rochester Monday, he explained that funding is set to run low in two months.

Now, he is pushing for Congress to provide additional funding.

“They are going to run out of money,” Schumer explained. “First, they’ll start and say ‘No more new people can apply.’ So, if Whitley was applying now for the first time, she couldn’t get it. But then, they will eventually have to cut back on what people who are already getting WIC would get.”

If the program does not receive additional funds by mid-January, Schumer said many families could struggle to keep food on the table after the holidays.

“If support for this program were to run dry, it would also surge demand at our food banks right after their busiest time,” he explained.

Foodlink is the operator of the first and only WIC-eligible mobile curbside grocery store in the country, feeding more than 1,000 kids per week.

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