Barilla teams up with singer, chef

To help encourage families to make the most of dinnertime, Barilla is teaming up with country music star Martina McBride and renowned chef Mario Batali to launch "Share the Table: The Barilla Family Dinner Project."

The company is inviting families to make a promise to enhance their dinnertime experiences at ShareTheTable.com. Although most people recognize that eating dinner together is an important family activity, a new study by Barilla reveals that American families want better quality dinnertime interactions -- with greater conversation and with fewer distractions -- as well as better meals crated with more participation by family members.

Nearly six in 10 families agree they don't have as many opportunities to connect with their family or friends as they'd like. On ShareTheTable.com, people can find more than 100 tips on how a dinner filled with robust conversation can better their lives.

For each person who promises to "Share the Table," Barilla will donate $1 to Meals on Wheels Association of America, up to $150,000, to support home delivered and congregate meal programs serving more than one million meals per day.

Barilla, established in 1877 in Parma, Italy, operates its US headquarters in Bannockburn.