MOLINE, Ill. — Red Cross Quad Cities Executive Director Trish Burnett stopped by the WQAD studio to discuss the 'A Taste on the River' event with News 8's Shelby Kluver.
Here's the full interview:
Kluver: Please tell people about Taste on the River happening this Thursday.
Burnett: This is our [26th] annual event. Through the years it's evolved a little bit, but it just keeps getting better and better. And so it's this Thursday June 15. It starts at 6 p.m. We're at the Bend XPO Center, which is a great facility. We moved it to that event center last year, [there's] music and excellent food, incredible auction items, and the chance to support the work of the Red Cross around our home fire campaign.
Kluver: Tell people when they go to this event, when they donate to this event, what is their money going toward it?
Burnett: The most common thing we respond to is home fires. I mean, we do floods and other things. But home fires really is what happens ongoing in the Quad Cities. And so this supports families who have had a home fire, it allows us to give them financial assistance. We can replace medications, medical devices, we provide shelter, feeding, whatever that family's needs are, they get the assistance to be able to start that recovery process. And it also funds our smoke alarm installations, which Channel 8 is a big partner in that, and it's a wonderful preparedness piece that helps our families hopefully stay safe and helps them know what to do in case they have a home fire.
Kluver: That's a good point is when you see people that have been affected by house fires, we report on them here on the news. There's always an after, right? And that's where the Red Cross steps in and helps out people right here locally. So people can still get their tickets, how much are they and where can they find the tickets?
Burnett: Tickets are $50 each, and you can go to redcross.org/taste. We will even take walk-ins that day. We do prefer you buy them in advance, but if that night you decide you want to come, come on down. We'll take care of you then, but it's such a fun event.
Kluver: No kidding, super fun event happening this Thursday night. I'm going to be there, Trish is going to be there and we hope to see plenty of you as well. Trish thank you so much for stopping by.
WQAD is proud to once again sponsor 'A Taste on the River.'