$20 Prego Lid Records Stories for Library of Congress

Your family dinner stories could end up in the same place as Abraham Lincoln's papers and historic presidential recordings.

StoryCorps, the nonprofit that has recorded over 600,000 American stories, just launched an unexpected partnership with Prego pasta sauce. Together, they created the Connection Keeper, a recording device shaped like a pasta sauce lid that captures family conversations at the dinner table.

The $20 Connection Keeper Bundle launches April 27 and includes Prego sauce, the recording device, an instruction manual, and conversation prompt cards. The device deliberately keeps things simple with no screens, AI, WiFi, or Bluetooth.

Users place the recorder in the center of their dinner table, press the single record button, and let conversations flow. The prompt cards help spark meaningful discussions between family members.

Once recorded, families can upload their conversations via USB-C cable to a special StoryCorps website starting May 4. They can keep recordings private or choose to share them publicly as part of the "Prego Collection."

Here's where it gets special: recordings added to the public collection will be preserved in the Library of Congress alongside StoryCorps' full archives. That means your grandmother's recipe story or your dad's childhood memories could become part of American history.

The Ripple Effect

StoryCorps CEO Sandra Clark says the partnership addresses something many families struggle with: being present with each other. The screen-free design encourages genuine connection during meals, a time when many households feel pulled apart by devices.

The project builds on StoryCorps' mission to record stories from Americans "from all backgrounds and beliefs." By making the device affordable and pairing it with an everyday product like pasta sauce, they're removing barriers that might prevent families from participating.

Each conversation preserved adds another thread to the tapestry of American life. Future generations could listen to how families in 2026 talked, laughed, and connected over dinner.

Your next spaghetti night might just make history.