Women, Infants and Children program remains fully operational in Hawaiʻi

Hawaiʻi Department of Health Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, clinics throughout the state remain open and fully operational despite the ongoing federal government shutdown, providing essential nutrition services and food benefits to qualifying families.

All scheduled appointments, nutrition education and benefit issuance services are proceeding as normal.

“While we closely monitor the federal government shutdown, I will not let it harm our families who rely on this important source of nutrition,” said Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green in an announcement the afternoon of Oct. 3. “I will ensure that funding remains available for this critical program.”

WIC provides supplemental foods, health care referrals, nutrition education and breastfeeding support.

Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, postpartum or have children younger than 5 years old are encouraged to see if they qualify for WIC benefits.

KEY INFORMATION FOR HAWAIʻI WIC PARTICIPANTS

Clinics are open

• All Hawaiʻi WIC agencies and clinics are open for scheduled appointments and services. Contact your local WIC clinic directly for specific hours or to confirm your appointment.

Benefits available

• Food benefits are being issued and can be redeemed as usual using your eWIC card.

Redemption at authorized stores

• Participants can continue to use their eWIC cards to purchase WIC-approved foods at all authorized grocery stores and retailers throughout Hawaiʻi.

Keep your appointment

• It is essential to keep your scheduled appointment to receive your next month’s benefits and continue meeting program requirements.

“We encourage all our participants to keep their appointments and use their eWIC benefits to purchase the healthy foods their families need,” said WIC Services Branch Chief Melanie Murakami in Friday’s announcement.

Click here to find the nearest WIC clinic and learn about eligibility or visit the online pre-application form.

According to information from NBC News, the longer the shutdown goes, however, the chance increases of funding for the program possibly running out.

Oct. 1 marked the start of the federal government’s 2026 fiscal year, so WIC was supposed to receive an influx of funding. Instead, the government shut down.

“A [U.S. Department of Agriculture] letter to WIC state agency directors on Wednesday confirmed that states would not receive their next quarterly allocation of funds during the shutdown,” said an NBC News story Wednesday night.

So while money is available now to the states via $150 million in contingency funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture along with a small amount of rollover funding from the previous fiscal year in some cases, federal officials say funds would likely run out by Day 31 if the government shutdown persists — or Oct. 31.

National WIC Association added that if the shutdown goes longer than 1 or 2 weeks, millions of moms and children throughout the nation could face “devastating disruptions” in access to nutritious foods.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson told NBC News in a statement that if the government is not funded, “the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children [WIC] will run out of funding and states will have to make a choice.”

News reporter Nathan Christophel contributed to this story.