PHFE WIC held its third annual Breastfeeding Month Celebration and resource fair on August 15, 2024, at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in El Monte Valley, California. Over one thousand families with young children enjoyed a family day at the park while connecting with local community resources like breastfeeding support, dental health, early education, child care, behavioral health, books, diapers, and more. In addition to Breastfeeding Month, the event celebrated two more milestones: the WIC Program’s 50th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program.
Special guests Congresswoman Linda Sanchez; Dr. Blayne Cutler, President and CEO of Heluna Health; and Kiran Saluja, Executive Director of PHFE WIC spoke in honor of breastfeeding families and the work WIC does to make breastfeeding support accessible.
“No matter what stage of your breastfeeding journey that you’re on, WIC is here to support you every single step of the way.”
“When it comes to breastfeeding and helping all of you, there is no one better than these folks. They are committed, they are passionate, they are dedicated, and they will call you anytime. You call them, they will respond to you. And you are living testament of so many moms who have been able to breastfeed.”
This event demonstrates WIC’s commitment to being a part of growing families’ support system. WIC builds trust with its program participants and is deeply connected with other local resources and community based organizations. Because of this, WIC is able to connect families to needed resources they may not know about.
PHFE WIC’s Community Resource Fair connected 1,400 individuals to
- 25 community partners
- 7,600 books
- 27,950 diapers
- 177 bags of breastfeeding supplies
- 76 portable electric breast pumps
- 94 hemoglobin screenings
Latch On: Celebrating Public Breastfeeding
In honor of National Breastfeeding Month, August 2024, PHFE WIC hosted its inaugural “Latch On” event to create a fun and memorable experience to celebrate and normalize breastfeeding in our community. Over 100 proud parents came together to latch publicly, socialize, and support each other.
To our dedicated WIC staff and community partners, thank you for participating, supporting, and promoting this event. Your collective efforts make a difference in the lives of families in our community.
