The Wellesley Health Department later this month is hosting an online program about the benefits of having family meals, and will follow that up with additional “Families Eat Together” programs.

Hear from Dr. Annel Fishel, a clinical psychologist at Mass General Hospital and co-founder of The Family Dinner Project,on Jan. 31 at 7pm by registering now. She’ll discuss the academic, mental health, and nutritional benefits associated with having family meals.

Maybe it even makes sense to plan a family meal around watching this online program.

Joyce Saret, the Wellesley Health Department’s senior community social worker, says the program can help families think about the obstacles to sitting down for meals together and better understand the benefits of eating together. Conversations sparked over meals can boost vocabulary, literacy skills, and overall self-esteem, she says.

Having meals together extends to the community’s elders, many of whom were isolated during the pandemic and have since experienced anxiety and depression.

The Health Department plans to hold more family meal-related programs, including workshops that might focus on how to talk to kids, meal prep that involves kids, and more.

While we know that busy schedules are common among families in town, the department currently doesn’t have data on how prevalent family meals are.