First Fridays

The Port Chester Cares Community Coalition through its “It Takes a Village” initiative is launching a First Fridays campaign beginning with the first Friday in July – July 1 followed by Friday, August 4 and Friday, September 2.  The First Fridays campaign is an effort to encourage families to eat at least one meal a week together.  The campaign has enlisted several Port Chester eateries that will offer discounts to families who present their ‘It Takes a Village’ key card on those dates.  So far, participating restaurants are - Garden Catering, P & D, Panera, Acuario, Euro-Asian Bistro, Restaurant Salvadoreño, T & J, Tandoori, Applebee’s and Cousin Frankie’s.  Key cards are being distributed to families whose children attend the Port Chester School District.

“Port Chester is a wonderful community with so many incredible restaurants; we hope that families will get to spend quality time and enjoy a meal together at any one of them this summer,” said Coalition co-chair, Joan Thomas.  Each participating restaurant will also be giving out ‘conversation starters’ which are cards that will encourage open communication between parents and kids while they are enjoying their meal.

 Frequent family dining, defined as 5 or more meals together per week, is associated with lower rates of teen smoking, drinking, and illicit or prescription drug abuse.  Children who eat with their family 5 or more times per week are more likely to get A’s and B’s in school, more likely to think their parents are proud of them and more than 50% less likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or smoke marijuana.

To learn more about the Coalition and First Fridays, visit: www.pcccc.org.  The Coalition welcomes any additional restaurateurs or business owners interested in participating in First Fridays, to call them at 914-255-4856.