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Cherokee Nation Public Health: WIC went online; summer EBT participation grew and senior farmers market pilot excludes meat
Summary
At a Cherokee Nation Health Committee meeting, Lisa Pivec said WIC benefits went online April 1 and summer EBT participation increased; she described a senior farmers market pilot run under different funding that, per USDA guidelines, covers only fruits and vegetables, not meat.
At the Cherokee Nation Health Committee meeting, Lisa Pivec of Cherokee Nation Public Health told council members that the program’s WIC benefits moved online April 1 and that summer electronic benefit transfer (EBT) participation rose compared with last year.
Pivec, who provided a written report in the meeting packet, said staff sent text messages to every WIC participant with a help number and that program staff remain ready to assist participants who experience card issues. "WIC did go online. Those benefits... did go live April 1st," she said.
The report highlighted increased summer EBT participation; Pivec said only one school on the reservation declined participation this year, down from about 14 schools that declined the previous year. She said a few schools are still providing data, which may delay some families’ cards.
Pivec also discussed a senior farmers market pilot that the Nation funds differently than standard USDA programs. She said the program is being run to demonstrate capacity to administer a full senior farmers market program but noted a key USDA limitation: "that does not allow for meat at the farmers market, only fruits and vegetables." That restriction means market cards in this pilot cannot be used for meat purchases.
Council members asked about the list and location information for participating markets; Pivec said a map and list appear on cherokeepublichealth.org and offered to explore arranging results by district to make locations easier for citizens to find. She described outreach efforts by the farmers market team, public health nurses, community health workers and public health educators to sign elders up at nutrition sites and community events.
Why it matters: moving WIC online and improving EBT participation can reduce barriers to food access for Cherokee Nation citizens; outreach and clearer market listings may improve uptake. The farmers market pilot’s USDA-aligned restriction on meat affects what foods recipients can buy.
The committee had the written report in the packet and did not take a formal vote on these program updates during the meeting.
