The inaugural fundraiser, Taste of East Moline, will be held April 28, 2022 at The Rust Belt (533 12th Ave., East Moline) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The event (admission for $25) will feature local restaurants offering bite-sized tastings of their favorite items, along with entertainment by Bobby Ray Bunch, a wine pull (for $10 more), a 50/50 raffle and a cash bar.

Participating restaurants (so far) include Combine, Happy Joe’s, Jewel-Osco, Junior’s Sports Bar, Midwest Ale Works, Olde Town Bakery, Revive Cafe, Rudy’s Tacos, Saint Giuseppes Pizza, The Palace and more.

The proceeds will support the annual grantmaking of the East Moline Community Fund, and the Taste is sponsored by East Moline Glass.

The East Moline Community Fund is a partner fund of The Moline Foundation. The EMCF was created to build charitable resources dedicated to strengthen our community now and for future generations. It receives and administers charitable gifts, and works with citizens to achieve their goals to improve the community.

“It is the goal to make the city of East Moline and the surrounding area a better place with bold solutions and inspired philanthropy,” EMCF board member Jennifer von Kaenel said Tuesday. “We strive for a thriving community where all individuals and families have the opportunity to succeed.”

While East Moline Glass is the presenting sponsor for Taste of East Moline, other sponsorships are still available, said Moline Foundation president/CEO Paul Plagenz.

The annual grant awards from EMCF have averaged $15,000 – and proceeds from this event will help increase the annual awards, he said.

Besides annual funding, the EMCF accepts legacy and estate gifts. Members include Larry Anderson – Fund Committee V.P. (East Moline Glass), Kimberly Crane (Tyson), Willie Ellis (retired Deere), Eric Davis (KVF Quad Corp.), Connie Dowsett – Committee President (retired East Moline Metal), Cathie Rochau (Friendship Manor), Shaun Taylor (Community Health Care), Jen von Kaenel – Marketing and Special Events Committee Chair (WIU), and Matt Wright (UTHS). 

In 2011, four people gathered to finish the final details of the new East Moline Foundation. Bob Baecke, Bill Phares, Doug Reynolds, and Ben Ryan Jr. (now deceased) had been planning for months with The Moline Foundation to form a geographic-based affiliate fund.

Now known as the East Moline Community Fund, the original founders are joined by Larry Anderson, Kimberly Crane, Willie Ellis, Eric Davis, Connie Dowsett, Cathie Rochau, Shaun Taylor, Jen von Kaenel, and Matt Wright. This group works to raise funds to benefit the community, to review and allocate grants for charities that benefit East Moline, and to accept legacy and estate gifts.

For more information on the East Moline Community Fund, visit its website. You can reserve Taste of East Moline tickets HERE.