Soap Lake cafe, chamber start Thanksgiving benefit

Wednesday dinner raises money for scholarship fund

SOAP LAKE - Thanksgiving and college scholarships are two things important to Richelle Madigan and her mother, J. Sassy Bartholow.

The owners of the Soap Lake-based Mad Hatter Cafe and Comedy Club, LLC, combine their interests when they host a benefit Thanksgiving dinner Wednesday at their club, located at 375 W. State Route 28, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The event is co-sponsored by the Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce, of which the cafe recently became a member. Bartholow is on the chamber's board of directors.

Madigan said Bartholow attended a chamber meeting where the discussion was what to do with $100 remaining from funds raised toward a community member's medical expenses. It was decided to put the money into a community scholarship fund, and Bartholow suggested building upon the amount.

"In years past, before we opened this cafe, at home, we've invited homeless people, we've had Job Corps kids out one year, for Thanksgiving and Christmas we've always had at home at least 15 or 20 people," Madigan said.

The idea of charging for a Thanksgiving dinner didn't sit well with either Madigan or Bartholow, so the idea struck them.

"Why not cook up a Thanksgiving dinner and make it by donation so the folks in the area on a fixed income who have lost their spouses or whatever and don't want to cook for themselves or can't afford to, they can come spend a buck or two?" Madigan explained. "That buck or two will go for a great cause and they'll get a great dinner … We should raise a considerable amount of money for a good cause and feed a lot of people in the process."

The community scholarship fund would benefit some area youth who might not otherwise be able to go to college, Madigan noted.

"My mom and I both went to college, we came from very low-income backgrounds, we both went to college because of the help of scholarships and financial aid, and so that's a cause we really believe in," she said. "Obviously, we want to help support some of the youth in the area that couldn't otherwise attend college."

Because of the growth in the area, Madigan added, a number of people are in town from other parts of the country without their families, including about 20 electricians who frequent the cafe.

"So of course they're all planning on coming," she said. "Thanksgiving has always been an important holiday to us. It's time for family, sharing and being thankful for stuff, and there's a lot of folks around here that wouldn't get a family-style Thanksgiving dinner."

In order to ensure those people get their dinner, Madigan and Bartholow are not setting a limit on the donation size.

"As little or as much as a person can afford to donate, we'll take it, we'll put it to use for a good cause and we'll seat everybody who walks through the door," Madigan said.

Madigan and Bartholow are expecting "a big crop of people," but said vendors have pitched in and donated food items for the event.

As of Monday afternoon, they were still looking for turkey and pie donations. Madigan said small business owners are hoping to promote the idea there is a lot of good small businesses in their area.

Donations of any size are welcome. Donors will receive a ticket of thanks, and even if someone cannot come to dinner, donations will still be accepted and be entered in a drawing every half-hour for free pies.

Madigan said the plan is for this to become the first of an annual event.

For more information, call the cafe at 509-246-1369.