Food and Nutrition Resources
While nutrition is vital to the growth and development of any child, children with significant chronic illness often have extra nutritional requirements based on their particular illness or disability.
The Center for Infants and Children with Special Needs at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center offers these resources to patients and families to help meet those additional needs.
Financial Assistance | Food Pantries | General Nutrition Information | Dairy / Milk Products | Allergies
Financial Assistance Programs
- Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps (BCMH) offers nutrition consults and financial coverage for special formulas. Nutritional consults are provided by a trained licensed dietitian through assessment and planning.
Specialized formulas are approved for payment when an infant or child is unable to consume adequate nutrition to promote appropriate growth and development. Financial and medical criteria for program qualification is also available on the site.
- Food Stamps, overseen by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, assists eligible low-income individuals and families purchase food and food products.Families who want to apply for food stamps should go to their local Ohio Department of Job and Family Services county office and wait to see a caseworker, Monday through Friday, 7:30 am - 12:30 pm. Appointments are no longer being made by mail:
- You can print and fill out the Request for Cash, Food Stamps and Medical Assistance application ahead of time, but this is not required.
- You will be given a checklist of items that must be returned within 10 days. If you need more time, you must request an extension or your case will be denied. Keep receipts identifying any items you submit.
- You should receive a decision within 30 days of your interview.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the new name for the federal Food Stamp program, provides information and an online pre-screening tool that can help you determine if your family is eligible to receive benefits. This site also provides detailed information about the program and how to apply. Although SNAP will be the national name, your State may use a different name.
- Food Stamp Outreach Program, operated by the Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati, guides low-income individuals and families through the often confusing process of applying for Food Stamp benefits. Freestore Foodbank case workers ensure that applications are correct and complete, they hand-carry the applications to the proper authorities and track them through the system.
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (WIC) provides nutritional education and highly nutritious supplemental foods to pregnant women, women who have recently had a baby, infants birth to 12 months of age, and children ages 1-5 who are at medical / health risk. This site has information about income eligibility and how to apply.
Find additional Financial Assistance resources.
Back to Top
- Freestore Foodbank, located in Cincinnati, provides food and clothing to people who are unemployed, whose homes have been destroyed by flood or fire or who are in need. They distribute donated and surplus food to approximately 500 non-profit agencies in 20 counties, who in turn help prevent hunger in their own neighborhoods.
- Cincinnati Benefits and Resources maintains a listing of food pantries and soup kitchens.
Back to Top
General Nutrition Information
The sites listed below offer easy-to-use general nutrition information for kids and families:
- American Dietetic Association offers resources to help improve eating habits and achieve a healthy lifestyle. You can also purchase the book, Children with Special Health Care Needs, from their web site.
- Food and Nutrition Information Center
- Fruits and Veggies More Matters has information on healthy eating.
- Kids Health offers online interactive information sections for parents, kids and teens on nutrition and other health topics.
- Kidnetic is a kid-friendly interactive web site which helps kids learn about how their bodies work, how eating right helps them play better and feel good, and how staying active is lots of fun.
- Maternal and Child Health Library provides information on child and adolescent nutrition resources for families and health care professionals.
- My Pyramid, sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture, provides personalized eating plans and kid-friendly information.
- Nutrition Explorations for Kids: "The Fun and Easy Way to Teach and Learn Nutrition" offers information for parents, educators and school foodservice professionals.
- Nutrition for Children with Special Health Care Needs provides information and resources for families and health care professionals.
- Office of Dietary Supplements, part of the National Insititutes of Health, provides information and fact sheets on vitamins, minerals and healthy eating.
- Tiny Tummies is a food and nutrition newsletter for parents. The web site has useful information about nutrition for children, practical feeding ideas, recipes and other internet links.
Back to Top
Benefits of Dairy / Milk Products
These sites describe the benefits of dairy and milk products:
Back to Top
Allergies
- Act Against Allergy is an interactive communication program that provides guidance on childhood milk and food allergies.
- Divvies sells treats that are peanut-free, tree nut-free, milk-free and egg-free.
- Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network has resources on food allergies, recipes and information for children and teens.
- MySpecialDiet.com provides information on metabolic diets including products, recipes, peer connections and support for diet management.
- Neocate provides parent information and resources on milk and food allergies in infants and children.
Back to Top
If your questions are not fully answered by our Special Needs Resource Directory and its links, please contact us via email.
Rev. 3/09
