The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides monthly benefits to help low-income individuals and families buy nutritious food. SNAP benefits are loaded onto an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which works like a debit card at participating grocery stores.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) helps improve the health of pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and children under age 5 who are at nutritional risk. WIC provides healthy food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to health and social services.

WIC has been shown to improve pregnancy outcomes, reduce premature births and infant mortality, enhance child nutrition and development, lower healthcare costs, and support better school performance.

WIC provides specific nutritious foods such as: infant cereal and baby foods, iron-fortified adult cereal, fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, peanut butter, canned fish, whole grain products, soy-based beverages and tofu, and infant formula if needed.

You may qualify for WIC if you are pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding; an infant or child under age 5; a resident of Hawaiʻi; income-eligible (automatically eligible if enrolled in SNAP, TANF, Medicaid/QUEST, or S-CHIP); and determined to be at “nutrition risk” by a health professional.

Nutrition risk includes medical risks (e.g., anemia, underweight, pregnancy complications) and dietary risks (e.g., poor eating habits or not meeting dietary guidelines).

No. You may qualify for WIC if you are a Hawaiʻi resident and can provide proof of residency (e.g., utility bill).

At your first WIC appointment, bring: ID, birth certificate, or immunization records; proof of residency (e.g., utility bill); one month’s Leave and Earnings Statement. Proof of pregnancy is not required.

If you receive SNAP benefits, you may be automatically income-eligible for WIC. Hawaiʻi WIC now receives monthly referrals from SNAP to help identify families who may qualify for WIC but aren’t yet enrolled.

WIC staff will contact you within a few business days. If interested, they’ll schedule a quick appointment (about 30 minutes). If not interested or unreachable, WIC will document the contact attempts and update your referral status.

WIC staff may reach out by phone, email, or text message.

Example: “Hello, this is [Your Name] from the [Your Local WIC Agency Name] WIC Program. May I speak with [Parent/Guardian’s Name]? I’m reaching out because families who receive SNAP benefits often qualify for WIC too. WIC provides healthy food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to other services—all at no cost. Would you be interested in scheduling a quick appointment to see if you qualify? It usually only takes about 30 minutes, and we can do it by phone or in person—whichever works best for you.”

That’s okay! WIC staff can send you more information by text, email, or mail. You can decide later if you’d like to enroll.

Once enrolled, you’ll receive a WIC EBT card, which works like a debit card to buy approved foods at participating stores.

Find and contact your local WIC office at health.hawaii.gov/wic/clinic-locations or visit health.hawaii.gov/wic to learn more.