The need for federally funded WIC or Women, Infants and Children, nutrition Ppograms skyrocketed during the pandemic.

“I was really scared,” said Itzamary Caban. “Mostly because I had a loss last year in the beginning of the pandemic and then I was pregnant again at the beginning of this year.”

Caban was pregnant with her second child and living in a new city where she didn’t know many people.

What You Need To Know

  • CEO’s WIC breastfeeding program went virtual in April 2020 and the class saw a huge boost in participation

  • Going virtual eliminated barriers like child care and transportation

  • The class went from being offered once a month to six days a week

  • There's plans to continue hosting the class virtually

“I was feeling lonely, I was feeling scared,” said Caban. “I breastfed my daughter for four years but she’s already 8, so it was starting all over again."

She joined the WIC Breastfeeding Support Group through CEO, the Commission on Economic Opportunity. In April 2020, some of their programs, including the nutrition education and breastfeeding support group, went virtual.

“They didn’t have to come into the office, they didn’t have to have transportation, they had the comfort of their own home so they could breastfeed while they were on these calls or just be home to have conversations, but they were still able to see one another,” said CEO’s WIC Program Manager Melissa Sacco.

Sacco said the virtual class has been a huge hit. It went from one Thursday a month, to six days a week.

“Moms that work nights could participate during the day, moms that work days could participate at night,” says Sacco. “We have moms that are part of all of the groups and they just absolutely love the support they’re getting.”

Post pandemic, Sacco plans to continue offering the class virtually.

“I think we will probably look to offer some in person ones but I will never take away the virtual support that we’ve been providing for them,” said Sacco.

Caban’s healthy baby boy, Kai, was born several weeks ago.

“Everything is going great,” said Caban. “It helped me realize that I could do it and it was going to be okay, I just needed to wait until the time came, until my baby boy was born and everything was going to be fine after that and if not, I knew I had the support.”

For more information on the program, visit www.ceoempowers.org.