A nutrition program that helps provide healthy food for families who can’t afford it is forced to close its doors due to budget cuts.

The WIC program stands for Women Infants and children. It is designed to help families at the poverty level buy healthy foods at the grocery store. WIC also offers personalized nutrition consultations and breast feeding information. The WIC location in Pueblo West is shutting down due to federal budget cuts. They serve over 500 clients. Some staff positions will also be cut. Organizers say clients can still remain in the program, they just have to go to the health department office in the city of Pueblo.

“For our Pueblo West Clients we have been telling them it’s very sad because there is no other free transportation route to Pueblo, so they’ll have to rely on a vehicle or friends or family to get them here to Pueblo. So that can be pretty tough,” said Kim Whittington, WIC Program Manager.

The Pueblo West location will close this Thursday. The Pueblo West clients, as well as other community members who qualify for WIC will be transferred to the WIC office located at 101 West 9th Street inside the Pueblo City-County Health Department.