Sit down to dinner with your family tonight and you’ll not only be strengthening family bonds, but helping a worthy cause.

M&M Meat Shops is inviting Canadians to take part in its fourth annual National Family Dinner Night to celebrate the importance of spending quality time with friends and family. For everyone who registers their participation at www.mmmeatshops.com or www.nationalfamilydinnernight.com, M&M Meat Shops will make a $1 donation to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada , to a max of $100,000.

“National Family Dinner Night encourages busy families to reconnect by spending quality time together, talking and sharing around the dinner table, while supporting a worthy cause,” said M&M Meat Shops founder Mac Voisin in a media release from the company.

With the hectic, fast-paced lives of many families these days, dinners eaten together may be a rare occurrence. Sharing dinner can have a positive effect on open communication between adults and youth and can strengthen bonds and build relationships.

According to a recent Angus Reid study, when Canadians take the time to sit down together for a meal, 70% say it helps them bond closer together.

According to Dr. Karyn Gordon, an expert on relationship-building between parents and teens, “Research shows that kids who eat meals with their families are more likely to have a stronger vocabulary, eat their vegetables and even believe that their parents are proud of them.”

To make family dinners a success, Gordon recommends turning off cell phones, TVs and other electronic devices during the meal. “By removing distractions and focusing, you will begin to learn and understand your family better.”

She also suggests that parents listen more and talk less at the dinner table, adding “If your kids perceive you as relaxed and positive, not uptight and critical, they will be more likely to open up and share.”

If you’re wondering what to make for Family Dinner Night (or any dinner), M&M Meat Shops’ website has meal ideas and recipes.