A new Meijer supercenter at 48025 5 Mile Road in Plymouth Township will open on Wednesday, Sept. 30, as the retailer expands online WIC ordering across Michigan.

The 159,000-square-foot store will be Meijer's 130th in Michigan. It will carry the digital shopping tools that let Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefit recipients order groceries on Meijer.com or the Meijer mobile app, a feature Meijer launched statewide on July 28. Before that, Michigan WIC customers could only redeem benefits at store registers.

Meijer is the first retailer in Michigan to accept WIC benefits online. About 190,000 women, infants and children under age 5 receive WIC benefits in the state each year, according to the retailer's announcement.

"We are proud to be the first retailer to offer this in Michigan, building on our legacy of improving accessibility to customers in Michigan," Don Sanderson, Meijer's chief merchandising and marketing officer, said in the July 28 announcement.

Christina Herring, director of the Michigan WIC Program, said in the same release that the partnership helps modernize WIC shopping by expanding digital access and giving families more flexibility to redeem benefits.

To shop with WIC benefits online, customers add their WIC card to a Meijer mPerks account. The system then flags which grocery items qualify. Meijer is waiving the home delivery fee for WIC orders. Pickup is free on orders of $35 or more.

Maureen Mitchell, Meijer's vice president of the Southeast Michigan region, said in an Aug. 10 announcement that the company is "deeply invested in this area" and looks forward to strengthening local partnerships through the Plymouth Township store.

In Southeast Michigan, Meijer partners with Gleaners Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan on hunger relief. The retailer highlighted the WIC milestone during Hunger Action Month, a September campaign by Feeding America to raise awareness of food insecurity.

Residents who receive WIC benefits can find details on Meijer's website or locate a nearby WIC clinic through the Michigan WIC program or by calling 211.