(CNN)Vicki Hankins has been desperately looking for a baby prescription since Sunday, January 9th.
"I got two bottles with my husband Walmart. This is the last time I've seen them in stores," Hankins, who lives in Prince George County, Virginia, said in an interview with CNN. rice field.
Hankins' son, Olin, is noweight months old. She gives him a Similac Alimentum because he is allergic to some ingredients in a milk-based prescription.
Families rely on a program called WIC (Special Supplementary Nutrition Program for Women, Toddlers and Children) to purchase groceries. According to Hankins, WIC was particularly helpful as it covered Olin's formula for $ 250- $ 300 per month.
But when Olin's formula disappeared from the store shelves in the shortage of formulas, so did the help she got through WIC to pay for it.
Hankins said that you can usually find Alimentum from Similac's website or other retailers' websites. However, the benefits of their WIC do not cover online purchases, so if she orders a formula that way, her family's budget will be significantly reduced.
"WIC benefits are not available online," Hankins said. "Everything I bought for him this month was from my pocket."
About half of the baby formulas purchased in the United States are purchased through the WIC program.
WIC families can only purchase formulas at retail stores that accept the benefits. As a result, warehouse stores like Sam's Club and large box stores like Target may be out of reach. To make matters worse, however, WIC recipients cannot take advantage of the benefits of buying formulas online at retail stores such as Amazon and Walmart.com and shipping them directly to their homes.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, no state currently allows WIC recipients to take advantage of benefits online, but some countries are moving in that direction.
For now, families sometimes have to drive for hours to find a prescription on the shelves of a store that accepts their interests.
Hankins is a member of the Facebook group for moms in her area looking for a formula. They spread their fans, take pictures and post them to groups to save time for other parents. They are always in touch.
"I searched from the beach to the mountains, but I couldn't find anything," says Hankins.
Bringing WIC Online
The reason is legal and technical.
Under federal law, WIC recipients are required to sign their name or enter their PIN number when they receive their groceries. For electronic commerce, the government must waive this requirement for the state.
Technical problems are annoying. WIC families can benefit from smart cards that look like debit cards, but they don't work exactly the same. Debit cards deduct the cash value of purchases from your bank account. WIC cards keep track of the number of items actually purchased by a person. For example, a card might allow someone to buy three cans of baby formula a month. Since WIC foods must meet specific nutritional requirements, the card also limits the types of products that can be purchased.
To move these smart cards online, stores need to build a new system to do that. The work is underway, but it will take some time. Even if these pilot projects are underway, WIC shoppers can only buy food online at one store.
"At this time, there is no immediate way to move to online ordering," said Geraldine Henchi, head of nutrition policy and early childhood programs at the Food Research and Action Center in Washington, DC. increase. "They can't do that. It's too complicated and poses a security risk, so they can't pivot to go to WIC's online order," Henchy said in an interview.
'I feel left behind'
I'm very sorry for Hankins, my mother in Virginia. The hundreds of dollars they spend on baby formulas every month are hitting their budget. She says her husband was buying lunch at the Walmart store where he works every day. Now he is taking the leftovers. The gas is so high that they limit the movement of cars. They are growing all the dollars.
"I sent an email to the representative, Senator. I felt left behind, so I did everything I could," she says.
USDA states that it recognizes the need to make WIC benefits available onlinesays they are working towards it. increase.
"WIC trading is a complex trade because it is a prescription for supplements, not cash benefits. WIC state agencies and their partners are working to establish an online ordering solution. We are working fast. This process will take some time. Food and Nutrition Service is committed to enabling online shopping with the WIC program and to achieve this. We provide resources and technical assistance to state agencies, "said a USDA spokeswoman.
On the other hand, the out-of-stock rate of formulas shows little sign of improvement. Over 21% of formula products (powder, ready-to-drink, liquid) were out of stock in the week leading up to June. Compared to the typical 10% rate before the national infant recall by Abbott Nutrition in 19 and February.
In particular, the inventory rate of powder formulations is even worse. According to data from market research firm IRI, more than 27% of powdered products were out of stock in the week leading up to June 19, up from 25% in the previous week and 23% in the previous week.
The Abbott plant, which once produced large quantities of medical, specialty, and powdered Simillac formulas for the United States, remains closed after the recent storms and when will it reopen? Supply is still inadequate due to lack of up-to-date information about.
Biden Administration has partnered with international companies to fly large quantities of formulas from abroad, some of which are shipped to brick and mortar stores. However, some of its officials are sold exclusively online and have not yet reached the WIC family.
For example, on June 9, 62,500 cans of Nan Supremepro 1 manufactured by Nestle in Germany were shipped to Dallas Fort Worth Airport. All shipments are sold through online retailers such as Amazon.com, Nestle.com, Kroger.com and Walmart.com.
"Because this is a new product for the US market, it is only available online and is only provided as a means of providing information and instructions on how to use it for parents and caregivers." The company said in a statement to CNN.
Non-profit organizations step up support
Stephanie Spencer hears about the financial pressure the WIC family is feeling. Spencer is the founder and director of a non-profit organization called UrbanBabyBeginnings.
She recently received a $ 180,000 grant from the city of Richmond, Virginia, and provided a microgrant to the WIC family who are paying for the prescription at their own expense.
"What we are currently doing is providing a $ 125 gift card to the WIC family with infants under the age of one who are residents of Richmond," says Spencer. "The goal was to expand our services for the WIC family."
"If you know, stores like the target and other places they might not accept it. If you can go to and buy the cans of those formulas they really need, "she says. Visa gift cards can be used both in stores and online.
She says the program has been running for about 3 weeks. She has applied for more than 800 gift cards. She says it's a pain to attend all the events they dealt cards with.
"I see that mom is desperate and trying to pull together through these formula swap groups and so on," she says.
"When I see the family talking about the fact that they have supplies for a few days, I need to go back and look for more," Spencer adds.
Thanks to recent donations from her friends and her family, Vicky Hankins says she now has 10 days' worth of prescriptions for her son. I feel luxurious.
"I am very grateful to the people who helped me," she says. "I can't believe it. I can wait a few days and then go out again."
Meanwhile, she worked with a local WIC office and a pediatrician to change to another brand that her son could tolerate. did. She says her fingers are crossed for a successful and available switch.
