Maine WIC Program

Maine WIC is administered by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) but delivered through 8 local partner agencies — community action programs, hospitals, and health centers — covering all 16 of Maine's counties, from Portland and Bangor to Aroostook County. The program provides free nutritious foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding and chestfeeding support, and referrals to community services for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding people, infants, and children up to age 5.

Who WIC Serves in Maine

WIC is open to people who are pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding; infants; and children up to their 5th birthday. Fathers, legal guardians, adoptive parents, and foster parents can apply on behalf of an eligible child, and foster or adopted children qualify regardless of the foster or adoptive family's income. To qualify, a household needs to meet income guidelines and have a nutrition-related risk — such as being pregnant, anemic, or underweight — which a WIC staff member or your doctor can help confirm at your appointment. Maine WIC is open to everyone living in the state, including migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, and does not ask about immigration or citizenship status.

What Your Benefits Include

Once approved, benefits are loaded monthly onto an eWIC card that works like a debit card at authorized grocery stores statewide, covering items like milk, eggs, cheese, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and infant formula. WIC also connects families to breastfeeding peer counselors and lactation support, one-on-one nutrition education, and referrals to programs like MaineCare or SNAP. Most participants download the free WICShopper app to check their benefit balance, scan barcodes to confirm an item is approved, and find nearby WIC-authorized stores. Because farmers can't scan an eWIC card, participants use a separate free app called Bnft (or mybnft.com) to generate a barcode for buying fruits and vegetables directly from Maine farms, farm stands, and farmers' markets — a year-round option most states don't offer.

How WIC Works in Maine

Because Maine WIC is delivered through local agencies rather than a single state office, the fastest way to get started is to submit the online contact form at maine.gov/wic or call the WIC office nearest you directly. A staff member will call you back to schedule an intake appointment and let you know what to bring — proof of identity, proof of Maine residency, and proof of income or enrollment in MaineCare, SNAP, or TANF.

Staying Enrolled

Recertification timing follows federal guidelines: pregnant participants are certified through delivery, breastfeeding participants for up to a year postpartum, non-breastfeeding postpartum participants for six months, and children annually. Your local WIC office will notify you before your certification period ends — follow-up nutrition appointments can often be completed by phone, but don't wait until the last week to schedule, especially at busier local agencies.