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With Toronto recording hundreds of new COVID-19 cases a day, Ecker is not about to argue with reality. The archdiocese won’t and shouldn’t cram 1,700 people together in the Metro Convention Centre for a joyous evening of conversation, stories, food and wine. But joyous evenings come in many flavours, including virtual.

“Hey, you can’t sit down in person,” conceded Ecker. “But order a meal and enjoy it.”

Thanks to a relationship Ecker has forged with Recipe Unlimited, attendees at the no-cost, virtual event can order dinner from Swiss Chalet or East Side Mario������Ƶapp and get 10 per cent off. The catering menus at The Pickle Barrel and Marigolds and Onions are available at 20 per cent off.

Beginning at 7 p.m., the evening will stream on the archdiocese������Ƶapp Facebook page (facebook.com/archtoronto) and be broadcast nationwide on Salt + Light (saltandlighttv.org). The evening will also include a musical performance from Kevin and Marisa Dashney.

“It������Ƶapp a neat way of having dinner,” said Ecker, a veteran fundraiser with the archdiocese who has been working on the Cardinal������Ƶapp Dinner organizing committee. “Imagine you are tuning in at 7 and you’ve ordered your Swiss Chalet, and you’ve ordered it with a discount with some money going to the Cardinal������Ƶapp Dinner.”

The dinner helps fund a couple dozen Toronto Catholic charities. During the broadcast, diners will get to learn more about how those charities will use the money through up-close video profiles of beneficiaries of the dinner.

“The opportunity for that face-to-face networking is obviously not there,” conceded Ecker. “But it������Ƶapp an important dinner that provides needed funds for charities. And it������Ƶapp also a great opportunity for His Eminence (Cardinal Thomas Collins) to provide a message and leadership, not only for Catholics but for all of us.”

Rather than formal speechifying, Collins will sit down with CTV broadcast journalist Alicia Markson for an interview. It������Ƶapp a “more intimate” approach that people will appreciate, Ecker said.

Like many who have endured the isolation and anxieties of the COVID era, Ecker hopes next year������Ƶapp dinner will be live and in person. But he������Ƶapp not going to let the opportunity of this year������Ƶapp Cardinal������Ƶapp Dinner escape.

“We’re going to capture a broader audience, to a degree — an audience beyond the Archdiocese of Toronto,” he said.

For information on the Cardinal������Ƶapp Dinner, see .