Be a STAR to your children on Family Day and every day

  • Published
  • By Tammy Moody
  • DeCA marketing and mass communication specialist
FORT LEE, Va. --  Fort Lee Commissary shopper Carmen Mercado and her family of four are perfect examples of what the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse's Family Day initiative is all about. Mercado and her husband Pedro, a warrant officer, have raised their three sons, ages 18, 21 and 23, with almost daily meals at the dinner table. 

On Sept. 28, the Defense Commissary Agency celebrates CASA's Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children ™, which is a national effort that encourages parents to eat dinner with their children as a simple, effective way to reduce substance abuse by their offspring. 

"More than a decade of the center's research has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs," said Joseph A. Califano Jr., CASA chairman and president. 

"I believe CASA's study is right, as it works for us," Mercado said. "During dinner we talk about the day, what they did at school, what they are planning for the next day, and sometimes we even fight, but not too often. 

"We've gotten so used to that time together, that it feels weird if we miss it," she added. "Two of my sons will even cook dinner for us, if I'm not feeling well, so it keeps us close." 

The Mercado parents are who CASA and the Defense Commissary Agency would call STARs when it comes to celebrating Family Day every day.
CASA encourages all military families to be STARs by doing the following: 
· Spend time with their children by having dinner together
· Talk to them about their day
· Answer any questions
· Recognize that they have the power to help their children stay substance free. 

DeCA Director and CEO Philip E. Sakowitz Jr. said military commissaries look forward to celebrating Family Day with as many STARs as possible. 

"It's only natural that DeCA and CASA are partners for this celebration as commissaries are a core element of military family support," he added. 
"They contribute to family readiness by enabling families to locate and live with military members around the world, and they provide a taste of home." 

The commissary is also collaborating with Family Day national sponsor the Coca-Cola Company to produce special recipe cards to inspire moms and dads to make dinner from scratch, a healthier option than restaurant take out and fast-food meals. 

"Commissaries place special emphasis on health and wellness for our military and their families, especially for their newest members," explained DeCA dietitian Lt. Col. Karen Hawkins. "Family Day presents a unique opportunity to highlight our Li'l Heroes Baby Program, which provides healthy eating advice for mothers-to-be, newborns and children, as well as money-saving coupons and other resources through the Li'l Heroes Benefit Bulletin e-newsletter." 

For more information on becoming a Family Day STAR, visit the official Web site at www.CASAFamilyDay.org. You can visit www.commissaries.com/baby, for more information on the Li'l Heroes Baby Program, and for ways to save even more than 30 percent when you shop at your local commissary. With the savings on your food, as well as the commissary recipes and healthy eating tips, it's even easier to make eating dinner with your family an everyday affair.