Let’s Celebrate National Hispanic Month
In honor of National Hispanic Month we have rounded up great online content in celebration of the rich history that is spotlighted this month. Click on the links below to explore some of the best the web has to offer for National Hispanic Month.
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum “join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society” on this site: https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/
The USDA spotlights some of the best of the culture’s foods here: https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/09/25/need-reason-celebrate-national-hispanic-heritage-month-here
The US Department of Interior offers this great history video on YouTube.com, which is great for kids and adults alike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEVXm2l1jQ
Texas WIC Extends Help To Displaced LA WIC Families
Texas WIC Helps LA WIC Families
Texas WIC is extending a helping hand to Louisiana WIC families displaced by Hurricane Ida.
“Wherever you find yourself in Texas, WIC can help transfer your benefits, replace your lost foods and assist with breastfeeding during this time of need,” according to social media posts by WIC agencies.
To find contact information of a Texas WIC office near you, enter the zip code of your current location at https://find.texaswic.org/?wicType=Clinic&lge=a8Jwz9Jlia. Breastfeeding assistance is available 24/7 for all moms at 855-550-6667.
PRIMARILY WIC GROCERY STORES
If you would like to redeem your WIC benefits in an easy, hassle-free store you can find primarily WIC grocery stores by visiting the links below.
Primarily WIC grocery stores aim to provide quality WIC-approved products in an easy, hassle-free shopping experience, allowing WIC clients to pick up all your WIC groceries in one convenient stop. SNAP also accepted. Find a primarily WIC grocery store near you with the links below.
AUSTIN
Visit LoneStarFamilyMarket.com, a chain of 6 primarily WIC grocery stores in Austin with locations also in Round Rock and San Marcos. Visit WICaustin.net for a list of WIC clinics and primarily WIC grocery stores.
DALLAS
Visit GroceryServicesNorth.com, a chain of primarily WIC grocery stores with locations in Dallas and Waco. Visit WICDallas.net to find WIC clinics and primarily wic grocery stores in Dallas.
SAN ANTONIO
Visit JCFoodMart.com in San Antonio, a chain of primarily WIC grocery stores in San Antonio. Visit WICSanAntonio.net to find WIC clinics and primarily WIC grocery stores in San Antonio.
WACO
Visit WICWaco.com for a list of WIC clinics and primarily WIC grocery stores. You can also visit GroceryServicesNorth.com
You can also visit TexasWIC.net to find primarily WIC grocery stores and WIC clinics in Texas.
Thank you Texas WIC for helping LA WIC families!
Now Offering Organic Gerber Baby Cereals
Pick up organic Gerber baby cereal next time you visit Lone Star Family Market.
All of our locations are now providing Gerber organic cereals to help you provide the best nutrition for your baby. Organic cereals will help your little one get a healthy start to eating solid foods.
It’s the #1 Pediatrician recommended brand for infant cereals and provides “essential nutrients – like iron, B vitamins, vitamins E and C, zinc and calcium,” according to Gerber.
The organic cereal is commonly a first solid food for babies to try, and is usually recommended when your baby is a supported sitter from 4-6 months.
Our stores will offer Organic Gerber Rice and Oatmeal Cereal in 8oz containers.
Lone Star Family Market is a chain of primarily WIC grocery stores in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos that aims to provide quality WIC-approved products in an easy, hassle-free shopping experience. Pick up all your WIC groceries in one convenient stop. SNAP also accepted.
Need Help With Food? WIC, SNAP Can Help
Sometimes everyone needs a helping hand with their groceries. Food assistance programs – like Woman, Infant and Children (WIC) and SNAP – can offer much needed help putting food on your table so you don’t have to worry how you are going to get your next meal.
WOMAN, INFANT & CHILDREN (WIC)
Texas WIC provides free food assistance for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women and children up to age 5. The program is for Texas residents that meet income requirements. WIC recipients get free nutrition counseling and education, breastfeeding support and food assistance to help ensure children get a healthy start.
WIC participants get their monthly food package benefits loaded onto an ebt card that can be redeemed for WIC foods.
Pregnant mothers may get food packages that include cereal, beans, dairy, fruits & vegetables and more. Infant children would qualify for a food package that includes baby formula and baby food. Older children would qualify for packages that include milk, eggs, cheese, bread, fruits & vegetables and more. To learn more about food packages visit WIC online.
The program is a great tool for mothers to ensure that their babies are getting the right nutrition that they need. Afterall, baby formula is expensive, and you don’t need to worry if your little one will have enough. Apply online at TexasWIC.org/apply.
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)
SNAP , sometimes called a food stamp program, is a food assistance program that loads benefits onto an ebt card, used like a debit card, called the Lone Star Card, to pay for groceries. To see if you qualify, visit YourTexasBenefits.com
MAXIMIZING FOOD STAMP BENEFITS
If you qualify for both programs, understanding key differences can help you maximize your benefits.
WIC expires at the end of each month. If not used, SNAP rolls over to the next month to be used later. To maximize food stamp benefits, use WIC benefits first. Any SNAP benefits you don’t use during the month can roll to the next month up to a year. If you don’t use WIC benefits during the month it was issued, you lose them. To maximize all your benefits, use WIC first and roll what you don’t use for SNAP to the next month.
WIC is geared toward paying for nutritious food for growing children up to age 5. SNAP can be used for adults and older children.
Also, some WIC clients that have both WIC and SNAP use their SNAP benefits for extra baby formula for their little ones if it is needed.
LONE STAR FAMILY MARKET
Lone Star Family Market can help you avoid the hassle redeeming any of your food benefits. We cater to families that need food assistance. Because our staff is familiar with food assistance programs, you won’t have any hassle at check out, and you will be in and out with nutritious food for your family in one easy stop.
Lone Star Family Market stores provide all the food categories for the WIC program so you don’t have to search aisles trying to determine what qualifies for WIC. We also accept SNAP. To find a location near you, visit LoneStarFamilyMarket.com/locations.
Prepping WIC Produce To Eat
How To Care For Your Fruits & Vegetables
You picked up your fresh Austin WIC produce from the store, but before you cook and prepare your favorite recipes it’s important to take a few steps to prepare your WIC fruit and vegetables.
You should wash all of your produce under running water and dry with a clean paper towel as soon as you bring it home. Also, cut away any damaged or bruised areas before you eat or prepare, according to guidelines from the CDC.
The CDC also recommends: “Keeping fruits and vegetables separate from raw foods that come from animals, such as meat, poultry, and seafood and refrigerating fruits and vegetables within 2 hours after you cut, peel, or cook them (or 1 hour if the outside temperature is 90° or warmer). Chill them at 40°F or colder in a clean container.”
If you don’t think you will eat your fresh produce before it goes bad, you can always freeze it. Frozen bananas are great in smoothies. For best results, blanch vegetables like broccoli before freezing. Place cut broccoli in boiling water for about 3 three minutes, derailed, cooled and placed in freezer bags and then freeze.
Blanching times for vegetables vary, but there are a lots of guides, like this one, from the Texas Agricultural Extension Office.
AUSTIN WIC PRODUCE CLASSES
Texas WIC currently offers two Click & Learn classes on their website that offers great information about preparing and eating fruits and vegetables. To sign up for the free classes, visit the following website and follow the instructions for taking the classes. 
The first WIC class, Food Safety at Home teaches about:
-
-
- Food safety practices
- Importance of washing hands and surfaces
- Ways to prevent bacteria from spreading
- How to cook at a safe temperature
-
The second WIC online class, Follow the Rainbow with Fruits & Vegetables, covers the following topics:
-
-
- Health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables
- Daily fruit and vegetable recommendations
- Tips for increasing fruits and vegetables
-
Texas WIC is a free nutritional education program that provides nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support and free food packages to qualifying mothers and their children up to age five. To apply for the program, apply online.
Texas WIC is offering extended fruit and vegetable benefits through September. Individuals are receiving $35 in fruit and vegetable benefits instead of the normal $11 per person benefit. Learn more online at Texas WIC.
Lone Star Family Market is a primarily WIC grocery store chain in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos that caters to WIC clients by providing an easy, hassle-free shopping experience for WIC clients. Find a location near you at LoneStarFamilyMarket.com/locations.