Hillsboro, MO, January 1st, 2022 - The Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Program at Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation (JFCAC) announces that a contract to continue to provide WIC services for federal fiscal year 2022 has been signed with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Under the terms of the contract, the JFCAC WIC Program will be able to serve more than 2500 persons eligible for WIC every month.

WIC is a special supplemental nutrition program providing services to pregnant women, breastfeeding women, postpartum women, infants and children up to the age of five. WIC provides breastfeeding education and support, health screening, nutrition education and counseling, and referrals to community resources.

Nutritious supplemental food is provided at no cost to participants. 
To be eligible for WIC, applicants must have an income of less than or equal to 185% of the poverty level (for example, a family of four with an annual gross income of $49,025 or less). Those with MO HealthNet, SNAP, or TANF are automatically income eligible. Migrant families and foster children are also eligible. 

WIC supplemental foods are specially chosen to provide protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C. Eligible women and children can receive fresh and/or frozen fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, peanut butter, beans, whole grain products (bread, tortillas, pasta, rice), hot or cold cereals, and more.

The WIC program recommends breastfeeding, provides breastfeeding support, baby foods and infant cereal. For women who are unable or choose not to breastfeed, infants may receive supplemental iron fortified formula.

WIC participants obtain their foods by redeeming food benefits loaded on their eWIC card for specific items at local grocery stores and pharmacies. 

Studies confirm that pregnant women who enroll in WIC during the early months of pregnancy have fewer low birth weight babies, experience fewer infant deaths, obtain prenatal care earlier in pregnancy and eat healthier. 

WIC is administered in Jefferson County at JFCAC (Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation). Persons interested in applying or who are in need of more information should contact the JFCAC WIC Program at 636.789.2686 Option 5. Information can also be found on the website, www.jfcac.org/wic and on the JFCAC Facebook page, @JFCACmo.  

JFCAC WIC Program services are offered in Hillsboro on Mondays and Thursdays and in Arnold on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Appointments are available at both sites from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM and from 1 PM to 4:30 PM. Evening hours are available by appointment only. Clinics are closed from 12-1 PM for lunch. 

The Hillsboro clinic is located at 105 Municipal Drive (JFCAC lower level). The Arnold clinic is located at 1818 Lonedell Rd (Jefferson County Health Department lower level). ​

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

WIC continues to offer in-person and curbside services for all participants during the COVID 19 Pandemic. The WIC participant is given a choice of an in-person appointment or a curbside appointment. In-person appointments are offered in Hillsboro on Monday and in Arnold on Tuesday. Curbside days are Wednesday in Arnold and Thursday in Hillsboro.   

If participants choose an in-person appointment, they have a traditional in-person WIC appointment, with face-to-face nutrition counseling and height, weight, and hemoglobin (iron) checks as needed. WIC benefits are loaded on the eWIC card in the office and given to the WIC participant in person.   
 
If participants choose a curbside appointment, they come to their WIC appointment at their scheduled time and check-in via an app called MyMobileCheckIn. Once checked in, WIC staff will go to the participant’s vehicle and retrieve the eWIC card, call the participant from inside the WIC clinic and complete the appointment over the phone, load the eWIC card with the benefits and return the card to the participant in their vehicle. For curbside appointments, height, weight, and hemoglobin checks are waived.   

The change to eWIC was implemented at the end of 2020.  Gone are the old paper WIC checks! Staff and participants alike are loving the convenience of the new eWIC card.  Did you know that Missouri WIC now has an app? The WIC Shopper App can be downloaded to a phone or mobile device and provides real-time info regarding WIC benefits. One can check the WIC balance on the eWIC card (the participant’s card must be linked), scan items at the grocery store to check if they are WIC approved, find healthy recipes, view the WIC approved foods, report issues with redeeming benefits to the State and more! This is a free and helpful tool for all WIC families.    

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung Cancer is the leading cancer killer of both men and women in the U.S. every year. It kills more people annually than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer combined. Currently, 1 in 16 people in the U.S. can expect to receive a lung cancer diagnosis, which is 1 out of every 15 men, and 1 out of every 17 women. About an estimated 132,000 lung cancer deaths are expected to occur in 2021 in the U.S., accounting for about 18% of all cancer deaths nationwide. If you want more facts about lung cancer, visit this link: Lung Cancer Facts: 29 Statistics and Facts | LCFA (lcfamerica.org).  
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Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for lung cancer. Therefore, research is even more important. New research is making it possible for people to live with their lung cancer and manage it like a chronic disease, but until a cure is found, continued research and testing will be vital.  

With November being Lung Cancer Awareness Month, there is no better time to help create awareness to this terrible disease and help find solutions and fund research. There are many things you can do. You can make donations to lung cancer foundations and research centers. You can make a Facebook fundraiser. You could also donate a vehicle. If you are interested in helping, use this link to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America’s website and find what is best for you out of the many donation options available: Donate to Lung Cancer Research | Lung Cancer Foundation of America (lcfamerica.org).  

Lung cancer is a terrible disease that takes way too many lives each year. It is important for all of us to continue to help fund research and create awareness. Make sure you are doing your part this November and help fight this disease and find the solution to rid of lung cancer for good. Together, we can all make a difference! ​

On October 14, JFCAC partner with multiple agencies for the Jefferson County Project Homeless Connect (JCPHC) event. The lead agency was Comtrea, with other agencies such as Jefferson College, Arsenal Credit Union, the Jefferson County Health Department, as well as a few others, participating in the event. This event brought social service providers together to connect to individuals and families who are homeless or at risk for homelessness with the services they need in one place, on one day. The event was held at the First Baptist Arnold in Arnold, MO.  

The JCPHC had three main goals, which were: Generating public awareness, reducing barriers and improving access to services for homeless individuals and families, and engaging and increasing the collaborative involvement of homeless consumers, businesses, the non-profit community, and individual volunteers to create solutions to end homelessness. There were 32 vendors available at the event, plus an additional 27 community volunteers.  

The event saw 26 participants walk through the door. Of those 26 participants, we were able to reach 64 of their family members with potential services. Of those 64 participants, 36 are staying in hotels/motels, 1 is staying home, 3 are staying in their cars, 2 are staying in the parking lots, 8 are with friends, and 13 are currently in homeless shelters. Also, of those 64 homeless, 30 of them were children aged 17 and under. Two of them were aged 18-29, eight were 30-29, five were 40-49, eight were 50-59, and four were 60-69. There were also two veterans served.  

Overall, the event was a success and the goals of the JCPHC were reached. Many homeless were able to connect with vendors for the services they needed and will receive the help they need moving forward. If you would like to learn more about the event or the other vendors involved in the event, or check out some of the photos from the event, visit the Jefferson County Project Homeless Connect Facebook Page at this link: Project Homeless Connect-Jefferson County, MO - Home | Facebook.  ​

Checkout this article regarding our Emergency Rental Assistance Program which was published in the Arnold-Imperial Leader on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021

Jefferson County, MO – WIC at Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation (JFCAC) is temporarily increasing the Cash Value Benefit for Fruit and Vegetable Purchases (CVB). 

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) gave USDA authority to temporarily increase the CVB to $35 per month for eligible women and children during the federally declared COVID-19 public health emergency. Missouri WIC has elected to use this authority from June through September 2021, to provide additional healthy fruits and vegetables for up to 60,000 women and children per month. Standard CVB values range from $9 - $11.

WIC families have the opportunity to shop for nutritious foods at over 600 authorized WIC retailers throughout Missouri and can receive services at any of the 118 local agencies. WIC serves financially eligible women, infants, and children under the age of five. Fathers, stepparents, foster parents, grandparents, and guardians are also encouraged to apply for WIC benefits for any children in the household under the age of five.

Missouri WIC provides quality nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, nutritious foods, and referrals to health services. It is also one of the most successful, cost-effective, and important nutrition intervention programs in the country!

Individuals interested in learning about the benefits of WIC may contact JFCAC WIC at wichealth@jfcac.org or 636-789-2686 Option 5.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

JFCAC Awareness Campaign includes semi-monthly radio interviews that are aired on KJFF 1400 AM the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 10:15 am. Each interview features a different JFCAC service or program. Click below to listen in to the Informative Interviews to learn more about JFCAC programs and services. 

​We are excited to announce a new program for Jefferson County Residents. Jefferson County applied for this funding as part of the COVID-19 relief package that was approved by Congress in December of 2020 and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) is being offered in partnership with Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation.  We will be the agency processing the ERAP applications. 
 
If you or someone you know is struggling to pay rent or utilities, and/or have rent or utilities arrears due to COVID-19 and live in Jefferson County, MO, help may be available through the Jefferson County ERAP Program.

We will begin taking applications starting April 15, 2021.  If you would like to be placed on the waitlist and be notified when the application process is open.

To learn more about this vital program, and sign up on the waiting list, visit our Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) webpage at www.jfcac.org/erap, or you may call our ERAP Hotline at 877-636-ERAP (3727). 

​The Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Program at Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation (JFCAC) announces that a contract to continue to provide WIC services for federal fiscal year 2021 has been signed with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Under the terms of the contract, the JFCAC WIC Program will be able to serve more than 2500 persons eligible for WIC every month.
 
WIC is a special supplemental nutrition program providing services to pregnant women, breastfeeding women, postpartum women, infants and children up to the age of five. WIC provides breastfeeding education and support, health screening, nutrition education and counseling, and referrals to community resources.
 
Nutritious supplemental food is provided at no cost to participants. 
To be eligible for WIC, applicants must have an income of less than or equal to 185% of the poverty level (for example, a family of four with an annual gross income of $48,470 or less).  Those with MO HealthNet, SNAP, or TANF are automatically income eligible.  Migrant families are also eligible. 
 
WIC supplemental foods are specially chosen to provide protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C. Eligible women and children can receive fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, peanut butter, beans, whole grain products (bread, tortillas, pasta, rice), hot or cold cereals, and more.
 
The WIC program recommends breastfeeding, provides breastfeeding support, baby foods and infant cereal. For women who are unable or choose not to breastfeed, infants may receive supplemental iron fortified formula.
 
WIC participants obtain their foods by redeeming food benefits loaded on their eWIC card for specific items at local grocery stores and pharmacies. 
 
Studies confirm that pregnant women who enroll in WIC during the early months of pregnancy have fewer low birth weight babies, experience fewer infant deaths, obtain prenatal care earlier in pregnancy and eat healthier. 
 
WIC is administered in Jefferson County at JFCAC. Persons interested in applying or who are in need of more information should contact the JFCAC WIC Program at 636.789.2686 Option 5.  Information can also be found on the website, www.jfcac.org/wic and on the JFCAC Facebook page, @JFCACmo.  
 
JFCAC WIC Program services are offered in Hillsboro on Mondays and Thursdays and in Arnold on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Appointments are available at both sites from 8:30 AM to 11:15 AM and from 1 PM to 4:30 PM.  Evening hours are available by appointment only.  Clinics are closed from 12-1 PM for lunch. 
 
The Hillsboro clinic is located at 105 Municipal Drive (JFCAC lower level).  The Arnold clinic is located at 1818 Lonedell Rd (Jefferson County Health Department lower level). 
 
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

The Insurance Assistance Program (IAP) is a new program offered by JFCAC through our Community Services Program. 
This program offers case management services for individuals that can include tasks such as goal setting, researching coverage options, assisting with insurance applications, explaining coverage options and much more. 

Click here to visit this program's page to learn more or inquire about services.