FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: May 11, 2026
CONTACT: April Jurisich, WIC Director, (530) 225-5065, ajurisich [at] shastacounty.gov (ajurisich[at]shastacounty[dot]gov)
Shasta County WIC Lactation Consultant Honored With Lactation Impact Award
SHASTA COUNTY – Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) employee Sara Stone was honored as the 2026 Lactation Impact Award Recipient on Saturday at the California Breastfeeding Coalition’s Lactation Impact Awards Gala, a landmark event celebrating excellence, innovation and leadership in lactation support across California.
Stone is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and provides lactation consultations for the Shasta County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
Stone’s innovation and dedication to providing high quality lactation support have contributed to increasing breastfeeding rates in Shasta County. Stone oversees the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program, which partners pregnant women with a supportive peer during pregnancy and postpartum to support breastfeeding success, especially in the first days and weeks after giving birth. Additionally, she and her team have earned Shasta County WIC the USDA’s prestigious Premier Breastfeeding Award for its breastfeeding peer counselor program.
The Lactation Impact Awards Gala, held May 9 in Davis, brought together advocates, practitioners and changemakers dedicated to advancing breastfeeding and lactation equity statewide. Award recipients were honored for their measurable contributions to increasing visibility, access and support for lactating individuals, whether through workplace policies, education, advocacy or clinical care.
Shasta County HHSA provides support for breastfeeding with prenatal classes and lactation consultations to both WIC and non-WIC families. In addition, Shasta County WIC hosts Shasta Mom’s Circle, an in-person group with an active presence on Facebook and Instagram. WIC participants are eligible for breastfeeding peer counselor support.
To learn more about WIC services and how to participate, call (530) 225-5168, visit ShastaWIC.net, or call the Shasta County Breastfeeding Warmline at (530) 245-6466. Texts may also be sent to (888) 424-6499.
California Breastfeeding Coalition is a nonprofit organization working to normalize breastfeeding and increase access to lactation support, especially in underserved communities.
“The Lactation Impact Awards were created to honor the leaders and organizations who are making lactation visible, supported and celebrated in every space, said California Breastfeeding Coalition Executive Director Jasmine Pettis Marquez, MPH, IBCLC.
“We know that real change happens when lactation is woven into the fabric of our communities and these awardees are leading the way. The gala is our chance to shine a light on their work and inspire even more progress across California,” Pettis Marquez said.
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