WIC

Ohio Department of Health officials are touting the growth of the WIC Farmer's Market program.

The WIC program — which can provide a grocery lifeline to women, infants and children — is dramatically underutilized. A new strategy, paired with $29 million, aims to get more people enrolled.

The Ohio Department of Health is working with the United States Department of Agriculture to get waivers for families enrolled in WIC so people have more formula options during the national shortage.

Parents who depend on the WIC program are struggling to get enough formula for their infants.

Last week, the healthcare company Abbott recalled some infant powdered formulas after four consumer complaints related to salmonella. In response, the USDA granted more flexibility to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, because some of the formulas recalled are provided through the program.

Take a look at what's included in the coronavirus emergency aid package that President Trump signed into law on Wednesday. It is the second such package so far.

The federal government has been partially shut down for almost a week, but not all agencies and services in Ohio are equally affected. Eligible households will still receive cash and food benefits for January, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said. The department administers both federal programs, known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.