The Westchester County Coalition for Drug and Alcohol Free Youth represents anti-drug coalitions throughout Westchester. These coalitions work to reduce underage drinking and other drug use and to promote positive youth development. County Executive Andy Spano supports these efforts as part of a comprehensive initiative to combat underage drinking.

Of national importance is Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children. It's an effort to promote parental engagement as a single, effective way to reduce substance abuse among children and teens and to raise healthier children. This initiative, started by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, encourages families to share a meal together and encourages communities to participate by helping families find the time and resources to make a shared meal a reality.

Since it began, Family Day has been celebrated on the fourth Monday of September. This year, Family Day will be celebrated on Sept. 28. and for the first time since its inception, this day is also Yom Kippur. As a result, many communities are choosing to celebrate Family Day later during the week in order not to conflict with the observance of Yom Kippur.

While it would be wonderful for parents to eat dinner with their children every day, this day, in particular, is a special reminder that dinner does make a difference.