Making WIC Work for Multicultural Communities - Food Research ...

• Tell them it is easy to access and then make sure it is. Develop and highlight “drop in days” or
“new enrollment days.”
• Highlight the benefits of the program (i.e. saves money, provides healthy foods, and supplements
their diets).
• Stress presence of ethnically diverse and bilingual providers.
The groups’ prioritized list of “best outreach methods” for African Americans included:
• Putting materials in places where people visit: barber shops, beauty supply and grocery stores,
churches, hair salons, clinics, schools, libraries, metro buses, and public markets.
• Partnering with other groups for outreach: Basic Food outreach workers, food banks, meal sites,
senior centers to reach grandparents who have taken in their grandchildren, and locations in
ethnic neighborhoods.
• Airing radio PSAs on stations popular with African American families
• Putting ads in community newsletters such as: In Time Production, FACTS, and Color Magazine
Outreach to African Americans
Based on the findings above, the Washington WIC Nutrition Program partnered with WithinReach to
develop materials and activities for an African American Outreach Project.
Outreach Material Revisions
WIC revised many of their English outreach materials to feature additional pictures of African American
women, infants and children. They hired a photographer to take professional photographs for the
materials. The revised materials included the WA WIC general outreach flyer, a “Tell your Friends”
appointment folder insert, and the 8-language Medicaid Flyer.
New Outreach Materials
WIC and WithinReach also developed and disseminated new direct mail post cards and Valpak coupons
book inserts with images of African American women, infants, and children. WIC sent the post cards and
ValPak inserts to African American and low-income families across the state. One of the Valpak stuffers
featured a picture of an African American WIC provider on the phone that urged women to “call me to
get on WIC as soon as you know you are pregnant!”
Working with the Media
As recommended by the key informants, Washington developed radio, newspaper and transit
advertisements. They partnered with Kent Stevenson, a successful African American producer and Debbie
Cavitt, an African American gospel singer and director of Leschi Children’s Choir to produce a public
service announcement. The PSA aired on local radio stations African Americans listen to. Debbie Cavitt
Making WIC Work for Multicultural Communities: Best Practices in Outreach and Nutrition Education 22