Help is on the way for families who need a boost to help them get back into the routine of eating dinner together. On Sunday, December 8, 2019, the Blue Bunny Bookstore and Horse Thieves Tavern in Dedham Square will team up with “The Family Dinner Project” to celebrate the organization’s new book, Eat, Laugh, Talk: The Family Dinner Playbook.
The event begins at 4:30 p.m. at The Blue Bunny with an introduction to the project, family games, a book signing, and light snacks. Afterward, families are invited to gather with The Blue Bunny and The Family Dinner Project next door at Horse Thieves’ Tavern, where the evening continues with food, fun, and conversation from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Special family-friendly entrees for kids will be available for $10 at the tavern, along with table games and unique conversation starters for guests to enjoy during their meals. Take-home resources will be provided so everyone can bring the fun and conversation home for more great family meals later on.
The Family Dinner Project, a nonprofit initiative based at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Psychiatry Academy, started in 2010. The project champions family dinner as an opportunity for family members to connect with each other through food, fun and conversation about things that matter. Over 20 years of research shows what parents have known for a long time: regular family meals lead to long-term benefits, including higher resilience, self-esteem, and grade-point-averages, and lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, eating disorders, and depression. The research shows “why” family mealtimes are so important. The Family Dinner Project provides the “how” for today’s busy families. With nonprofit partners and local champions, The Family Dinner Project team works online and at community events to help families increase the frequency, meaning and long-term benefits of their shared meals.
Proceeds from all book sales will go to nonprofit community work of “The Family Dinner Project.” The Blue Bunny Bookstore is located at 577 High Street, in Dedham Square, and Horse Thieves Tavern is next door at 585 High Street. For more information about the December 8 event or Eat, Laugh, Talk: The Family Dinner Playbook, visit thefamilydinnerproject.org or bluebunnybooks.com.
