The Family Meal
If you follow our blog, you’ll know I was born in the 1960’s into a family where nightly meals were a ritual with music, conversation and candlelight – we did not dine and dash. Memories of those evenings always bring me back to a place of tranquility. 
But the reality of that decade was quite different.
The 1960s might have started with Leave it to Beaver but they ended with All in the Family. My brother left for college when I was entering kindergarten. I still remember how, when I was seven, my parents would talk with him late into the night after the 1970 invasion of Cambodia – students were going on strike at his college. He was so Invigorated by the events of the day, that he went to gather my sister and her friends from her Maryland campus to head to lobby and protest in Washington DC.
It was such a cultural and disruptive shift for my parents. They were of the so-called “Greatest Generation,” who had both endured and lost both friends and family during World War II.
In spite of the challenges of the times, those dinners brought us back to a place where we could slow down, feel safe and reconnect. My life was largely shaped during those nightly meals, as they laid the foundation for all of those moments in my future when I was traveling tough terrain.
In some ways the 1960s feel much like the world, in which we live today: tumultuous and uncertain.
It’s in that spirit, we are inviting you to join us in celebrating your family. In September, we are doing our part to bring families together by celebrating Food Marketing Institute’s Family Meal Month campaign.
Numerous studies underscore the long-term health, academic and societal benefits of consistently eating together as a family. Yet, according to a Harris poll, only 30 percent of American families share dinner every night. Recent research also proves that people who frequently cook at home eat fewer, healthier calories.
“Interest in creating more opportunities for families to eat meals together is at a critical point in our society,” said Leslie Sarasin, president and CEO of the Food Marketing Institute, creator of National Family Meals Month™. “The will to return to the table exists, but families need a friendly, familiar voice to encourage, guide and help them. The grocers and manufacturers that supply customers with the foods and resources to prepare meals at home are leaders in helping families eat together regularly. This has a positive impact on our society at a variety of levels.”
We’re also taking a step further by donating 15% of all of our online sales to Blessings in a Backpack. I first became aware of this organization from my friend, Michele, who literally stuffs food in the backpacks of children within food insecure environments each Friday afternoon. Helping families and children have access to nutritious food is an issue close to our hearts and our mission, so we’re honored to be partnering with such an inspiring organization to give back to those most in need.
With our modern lifestyle claiming so much time away from home either physically or mentally, we hope you will take this month slow down, reflect and reconnect.
Author’s Note
As we work to bring more families together over the shared meal we are running a contest online Celebrate Family Meals Month with a dash of Zen. We hope you will join the fun, as we look forward to seeing all of your families enjoying their time together!
Zen Moment
It’s a wonderful time when you sit down around the table for dinner and discuss life. No matter where you are, it gives the semblance of normalcy to my crazy world.
Melina Kanakaredes
