Wow!!! This discussion is a wonderful example of Lactnet at its best. I
particularly love Susan Burger followed by Sonya Shaver - Susan I can
imagine you on the podium, and we are all screaming yes yes yes -- then
Sonya follows and we all say, "Hmm, let's get in to small groups and figure
out where this goes next - can we change it?"

The WIC program is a US Dept of Agriculture program, which was indeed
started to use surplus foods. It is VERY locally flavored - in Vermont moms
get Vermont cheddar, Vermont milk, vouchers for the local farmers market,
and there are peer counsellor programs in the places where they have needed
it most. Our local nutrition person handles two offices (over a mountain
range from each other) and it's not likely we'll get a peer counsellor
program soon as a result. (But as a coalition - the hospital, LLL, WIC
breastfeeding coordinator, and anyone else we can pick up along the way -
we have managed to make a difference.)

Keep up the good discussion (I certainly have no global solutions here -
and maybe supporting or changing loca/state WIC programs is a part of where
we want to go with this.)

Dawn Kersula in southern Vermont

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