The folks at The Hebrew Home in Riverdale, NY, are gearing up for Grandparents Day with a Woodstock-inspired concert and cookout on the Sunday after Labor Day. They have been celebrating Grandparents Day since 1961 and the activities vary each year.

Celebrations are also planned on that Sunday at the Courtney Manor Nursing Home in Bad Axe, MI, and at the Culver’s restaurants in Chicago, IL. 

The event at the nursing home is an annual free concert. This year, four generations of the Johnny Prill Family will perform together. 

That festive spirit is also alive at the participating Culver’s restaurants, where they’re encouraging customers to treat a “grand” to ice cream, snap a photo with them and post it on Instagram.

These are just a few of the ways people across the country will celebrate Grandparents Day on September 8, 2019, which has been celebrated as a national holiday since 1978.

Since 2012, Generations United – the national organization committed to improving the lives of children, youth and older adults through intergenerational connections – has spearheaded an annual campaign to encourage all generations to Do Something Grand and engage with another generation on Grandparents Day.

This year’s theme is “Dig In! Bringing generations to the table” – focusing on connecting younger and older people through food and nutrition. 

According to our 2012 report, Grandparents Investing in Grandchildren, going out to eat is a popular intergenerational activity, with 67 percent of grandparents saying they visit restaurants with grandchildren and over 1/3 of grandparents cook or bake with their grandchildren. These are prime opportunities to not only pass on family traditions and culture but also for each generation to share what they know about healthy foods.

An example that’s bringing young and old to the table is the culinary arts program at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s newly built Anita May Rosenstein campus. 

The commercial kitchen on the property, which hires youth and older adults, provides food on-site for residents. It also includes a coffee shop, a grab-and-go cafe, and trains young people in the culinary arts. 

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is among the intergenerational shared sites featured in our recent report with The Eisner Foundation. 

The Campus Dining Program in OH brings college students and older adults to the table at an on-campus congregate meal site. The program, a partnership between the Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc., Ohio State University at Mansfield and North Central State College, provides older adults with flexible dining hours, fresh food choices and intergenerational programming that promotes lifelong learning, positive aging and mentorship.

The Campus Dining Program provides a wider variety of fresh and healthy foods than the single meal selection that is usually offered by traditional meal sites. It also supports new relationships and activities with students and faculty.

Other examples of intergenerational health and nutrition solutions are included in the resources, ideas and information that Generations United and its 15 national partners — which includes MomsRising — will share leading up to Grandparents Day 2019. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also follow the hashtag: #DoSomethingGrand 

Generations United is urging grandparents and older adults to share their wisdom and perspectives with young people on Grandparents Day. We’re calling on all ages to get involved. We put together a host of ways for young and old to “dig in.” 

Let’s celebrate Grandparents Day by committing to Do Something Grand!