Joining the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia in recognizing May 2004 as WIC Month and recognizing and acknowledging The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) on the occasion of its 30th Anniversary.

WHEREAS, The WIC Program, a supplemental nutrition program for pregnant and postpartum women and children up to five years of age, was initiated in Pennsylvania in May 1974 and that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is celebrating its 30th Anniversary in May 2004; and

WHEREAS, The North Central Organized Regionally for Total Health (NORTH) is the Manager of the WIC Program In Philadelphia and that the Philadelphia WIC Program is the largest single county program in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which provides benefits to more than 52,000 participants at nineteen full-time, five day a week, WIC offices and thirty-eight satellite offices; and

WHEREAS, The WIC Program is deeply involved in addressing other areas of maternal and child health, such as educating participants about the dangers of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and reinforcing the importance of childhood immunization, lead poison screening and promoting breastfeeding as the optimum choice for infant feeding; and

WHEREAS, The WIC Program is one of the nation’s most successful and cost-effective nutrition intervention programs and that its primary mission is to give the most vulnerable children the best possible start in life by providing nutrition, education and healthy foods during the critical stages of fetal and childhood development; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That May 2004 is recognized as WIC Month and that the North Central Organized Regionally for Total Health, Managers of the WIC Program in Philadelphia is recognized and honored for the programs and services that address the nutritional needs of Women, Infants and Children in the City of Philadelphia.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to a representative of The North Central Organized Regionally for Total Health (NORTH) as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

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