USDA-FNS WIC representatives visited Crookston Friday morning at Wonderful Life Foods in Crookston and presented Polk-Norman-Mahnomen WIC with the Gold Breastfeeding Award of Excellence. FNS has distributed 135 WIC Breastfeeding Awards of Excellence in 2023. Polk-Norman-Mahnomen WIC is the only Minnesota WIC clinic earning recognition this year.
Along with receiving the award Polk-Norman-Mahnomen WIC has been celebrating breastfeeding month this August. They also celebrated World breastfeeding week from August 1 to August 7. “This is a time where we do extra promotion about breastfeeding in the community,” said Polk County Public Health Director and Administrator Sarah Reese, “Our peer breastfeeding counselors provide opportunities in a park or picnics to engage with families and support mothers and their children in breastfeeding.”
Polk County has received a variety of designations. The local department has received Minnesota Department of Health Breast Feeding Friendly Public Health and Workplace designations. “We have a variety of partners across our three counties that have also received recognition for either being breastfeeding paternity centers or being a breastfeeding-friendly workplace,” said Reese, “So it’s exciting to see not only that it’s a priority of our workplace but also our health department and the services we provide.”
The WIC program and Peer program that is focused on locally is funded by the State Health Department. Along with breastfeeding, these programs focus on nutrition and chronic disease prevention.
It was a packed house at Wonderful Life Foods during the ceremony, with state and federal representation, community members, media, and staff from the local programs on hand. “We’re so delighted about the USDA Breastfeeding Award of Excellence and is receiving,” said Reese, “It was well timed being in August, and it’s a great time to promote breastfeeding at our women and children’s clinics.” The USDA has recognized 17 gold awards in the Midwest, and Polk County has received one.
There are three different breastfeeding awards distributed across the country to organizations. The awards are the gold, premier, and elite awards. “This award embodies the work the agency has put into support, not only the participants that come to them for help but for WIC services,” said USDA-FNS Supplemental Nutrition Division Director Nancy Ranieri, “This shows they have supported healthy lives for new babies but also throughout their communities because they are making impacts that affect everyone who lives and works here.”
The process of receiving the gold award included the state approving the excellence of the program being evaluated. The state then passed the recommendation to federal review.
