Meal Planning and Shopping Matters Update

Thanks to those of you who have come out for our WIC Shopping Matters Tours! There is still plenty of time left to sign up for future tours and we are excited to be able to offer WIC participants who attend a tour a FREE $10 GIFT CARD to be used on fruits and vegetables at the store that day!

One major way to save money and time at the grocery store is to plan out your meals ahead of time and take a list. I found a great meal planning worksheet and grocery list that you can download for free here. If you are stuck on ideas of what to make, remember that you do not have to make four course dinners. Make it easy on yourself and it will get done!

If you want to get a little more advanced with meals and meal planning here is a great link that has alot of useful recipes and ideas for meals.

Also, we still have plenty of room for participants to attend tours on these dates:

Stafford Giant: Feb 23, March 1, and March 22 at 10:30 and 3 PM

South Point Wal- Mart- Feb 24, March 2, and March 23 at 10:30 and 3 PM

Call Allison Leonard at 540-322-5948 to sign up or for more details!

Fall Festivities

We're only a week into the new season and there is already much to look forward to. There are some great events happening all over the community this month. Check them out:

If you live in Caroline County, you'll want to check out the 22nd Annual Bowling Green Harvest Festival on October 15, going on from 9 AM until 4 PM. There will be plenty of fun for the entire family. Then at the end of the month take your children out to Treats in the Community. Caroline is a large county, so there are two opportunities to participate. The Port Royal Fire House will be hosting treats in the community on Tuesday, October 25 from 5 PM until 7 PM and the Upper Caroline Fire House will be hosting the event on Thursday, October 27 at the same time (from 5 PM-7 PM).

In Fredericksburg there will be a community health fair taking place at Resurrection Lutheran Church on Saturday, October 15 from 9 AM-1 PM. The church is located at 6170 Plank Rd in Fredericksburg. They will have free health screenings, health information, and dental fluoride treatments for children while supplies last. Then on October 22nd, Salem Fields Community Church will be having their Big Hairy Rocktober Carnival at 11120 Gordon Rd, Fredericksburg VA from 1-5 PM. The Big Hairy Rocktober Carnival is a free event that will include carnival rides, games, live music, face painting and more!

If you're in King George, be sure to head out to the annual Fall Festival. This is an event you won't want to miss. They'll be kicking off the festivities with a parade down Kings Hwy and there will be fun festivities to choose from the entire day.

This October in Spotsylvania, the Fredericksburg Fall Family Festival will be held at the Spotsylvania Towne Center on October 30 from 3-6 PM. The following weekend of November 5th, also at the Spotsylvania Towne Center, will be Family Fun Day at the mall food court from 11 AM- 3 PM.

There are some great events going on this month in Stafford too. The Weecycled Wardrobe Sale will be in town from October 7th to October 9th. The sale will be going on from 10 AM- 6 PM daily and will be located in the shopping center at the intersection of Tech Pkwy and Furnace Rd. Follow the link for directions and details about this semi-annual clothing sale. Then, the following weekend, Stafford Rotary's Wings & Wheels Festival will be taking place on Saturday, October 15 from 10 AM - 4 PM at the Stafford Regional Airport.

Free Family Fun

There are tons of fun things to do as a family and you don't have to go far to find them.

Second Saturdays at the Museum

Storytime at your local library

• Caroline



• Fredericksburg: Headquarters (Caroline St), England Run, Salem Church



• King George



• Stafford



• Spotsylvania

If you live in the City of Fredericksburg check out the Dixon Pool.

If you are in King George head to the King George Middle School track field for Free Friday Flicks all summer long.

Don't have time to plan an outing? You can stay inside and play with blocks, toys, or dress up clothes. With the nice warm weather you may want to go outside to play with hula hoops, beach balls, jump ropes, or just your imagination.

No matter where you go, there is fun to be had as a family.

WIC goes to Market!

This past weekend WIC visited the Spotsylvania Farmer's Market where we had a chance to mingle with local farmers and food crafters who bring their finest fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, baked goods and plants out to the commuter lot at Gordon Road and Rte. 3. What a great day!

Spotsylvania has the largest Farmer's Market in the region and this year they have added the ability to accept SNAP benefits! Simply take your SNAP EBT card to the Market Manager's stand and choose a dollar amount to exchange for tokens which can be used at any of the farm stands just like cash!

We also met a local Doctor who started her own website to push fresh fruits and veggies with kid-friendly (and kid tested!) easy and unique recipes. Get some fresh ideas from Doctor Yum!

WIC is out and about in the community all the time, so check our Upcoming Events tab on the left to see where you can find us next!