LEWISTON – Mayor Laurent F. Gilbert Sr. is encouraging local families to eat dinner together on Monday, Sept. 24, as part of a national campaign.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse and TV Land have designated that day as “Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children.”

Gilbert plans to issue a proclamation about the initiative at the Sept. 18 City Council meeting.

Created in 2001, “Family Day” is a national movement that encourages parents and guardians to frequently eat dinner with their children, as well as to be actively involved in their lives, as an effective way to reduce substance abuse among children and teens.

Gilbert noted that 12 years of surveys conducted by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse have consistently found that the more often children and teenagers eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink and use illegal drugs.

“Family time is a wonderful opportunity to talk with children and hear what’s on their minds,” Gilbert said. “Positive conversation and interaction that occurs at mealtime goes a long way in building consistent dialogue between parents and children, and it’s a great way for parents to better understand the many challenges that young people face today.”

Gilbert would like to have children and teens send hand-drawn pictures or photographs of their Sept. 24 family dinners to him by Oct. 1. In celebration of the importance of the family, he’ll display the submissions throughout City Hall for the month of October.

In 2006, President George W. Bush, 48 governors and mayors and executives of more than 600 cities and counties across the nation proclaimed the fourth Monday in September as “Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children.”

This year, families can also go online to “TV Land’s Family Table” and sign onto the Sept. 24 pledge to make a family dinner a top priority: www.familytable.info.