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Riley County WIC reports higher caseload, $1.5M annual grocery impact and expanded outreach on Fort Riley
Summary
County WIC staff reported steady caseload growth, program services, and local outreach including a Fort Riley clinic; WIC spending routed through local grocery stores averages about $140,000 per month.
Riley County's WIC program presented participation and program-detail figures on March 13, reporting monthly average total participation of 2,742 clients across locations: Fort Riley (1,395), Manhattan (1,231) and Pottawatomie County mobile clinics (117). The program said it is meeting about 97–98% of its assigned caseload and that year-to-year caseloads rose about 6.24% compared with a statewide increase of 4.8% for the same period.
WIC supervisor presented components of the program (nutrition education, food benefits, breastfeeding support) and said the average WIC grocery-card spend in Riley County is approximately $140,000 per month — roughly $1.5 million annually — at local stores that accept WIC. Staff noted outreach efforts on Fort Riley (clinic presence, referrals from Irwin Army Community Hospital), partnerships with pediatric and maternal services, and a milk-donation role as a drop-off site for the Mother's Milk Bank in Oklahoma City; the county's Fort Riley office supplies services on post and rotates staff to IACH (Irwin Army Community Hospital).
The WIC supervisor said the program is participating in state-level modernization work on food-package rules and technology improvements; local staff expect to request a midyear adjustment to administrative funds. The presentation included client-satisfaction feedback (requests for more protein choices, online shopping capability, farmer's market access) and program goals for 2025 focused on child participation in meal planning and a county-specific breastfeeding class.
No formal action was requested; commissioners thanked staff and discussed scheduling for a future detailed presentation to a veterans/military services committee.
