“We applaud the new availability of online shopping for customers, but why would we not extend the same service to the women, infants, and children who rely on WIC?” says Jared Call, Senior Advocate at California Food Policy Advocates. Hunger has increased sharply across the nation during the pandemic. Now, food policy advocates are asking the state to provide the same purchasing opportunity for pregnant women and families with young children who get benefits through WIC. Late last month, California’s food stamps program, CalFresh, began allowing beneficiaries to buy groceries online at participating stores-a recent upgrade to the program that lets families skip potentially perilous grocery shopping trips during the coronavirus pandemic and limit the spread of the disease. And the program doesn’t allow online grocery shopping.

The Sacramento family relies on the Women, Infants, and Children Program to help pay for groceries. Just about every time her family needs groceries, Angelique Schanbeck loads her three children, ages 3 months, 2 and 4, into the family car.