Trip to New York...

  • Published
Laughlin family can benefit from Commissary contest --  Thanks to the Commissary, a Laughlin family has a chance at a trip to New York and a special dinner courtesy of a worldwide contest to draw attention to "Family Day - ADay to Eat Dinner with Your Children."

Created by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, "Family Day" is the fourth Monday of September each year. This year it falls on Sept. 25. According to CASA research, the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs. And they get better grades. Last year 1.3 million Americans "pledged" to have dinner with their children on "Family Day."

"People at Laughlin have a strong sense of family, but focusing on an event like this reminds us just how important something as simple as eating dinner together is to the health of our families," said Mr. Tony Longo, Laughlin Commissary officer.

To draw even greater attention to Family Day, the military sales team of The Coca-Cola Company is sponsoring a three-day, two-night trip to New York. The winner will also get a family dinner cooked by Sandra Lee, best-selling author and host of the Food Network show "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee." Lee's latest cookbook "Semi- Homemade Grilling" will be awarded to secondplace winners.

Commissary patrons can go to the DeCA Web site at http://www.commissaries.com to access links to the contest, make a "symbolic" pledge to have a family dinner on Sept. 25, get more information about "Family Day," or find healthy recipes. The contest is open from Sept. 1-30.

"This is a unique event for us," said Doug McAlister, director of the Coca-Cola worldwide military sales team. "Coca-Cola is the national corporate sponsor of 'Family Day,' but the military sales team is taking it a step further for the benefit of the entire military community. Conducting the contest online gives military retirees, Guard/Reserve and active duty a chance to enter - whether they are in Germany or Guam, Illinois or Iraq."

Being the eldest of five children, Sandra Lee appreciates the importance of family dinners. "Growing up in a small town in Washington state, we always ate dinners together," she said. "It gave us a chance to talk about school, our day - and I think it made a difference in my life."

Lee specializes in meals made by spicing up everyday, store-bought products. "We requested she prepare a 'healthy' meal for the winner and she agreed immediately," said McAlister.

Coincidently, Sandra Lee is working on a new cookbook for 2007 focusing on light and healthy cooking. "That is certainly the trend for America right now," she said. "People have busy lives and not a lot of time to spend on cooking, but there isn't any reason light and healthy meals can't also be fast and delicious."