The Lioness Lions of Moses Lake are fiercely independent and deeply committed to their community. Once, their work was more hands-on-service driven. Today, their work centers around one of, if not the, most significant investments our region has ever made: the Space Burger.
An initial investment in 1964 of approximately $5,000 returned a whopping $1,000,000 (that’s one million dollars) to our community 10 years ago. It’s well over that now, said 30-year member Deb Graser.
What is a Space Burger? Hmmm, you must be new here!
The Space Burger was originally created for the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, and their shape mimics the Space Needle’s saucer-like top [which also debuted at the Fair]. They are made with two slices of white bread pressed around a mound of seasoned ground beef, sauce and shredded lettuce.
“One of our members found out about them in Seattle. They wanted $1,000 for the machine… and that was a lot of money back then! She went ahead and bought one, and when the group saw it, they decided to go with it,” Graser said. You can find other types of pressed burgers across the nation, but none hold the history of the Fair like Moses Lake’s Space Burgers, because only we got the secret recipe for the sauce and the burger seasoning.
During the Grant County Fair, the Lioness Space Burger booth will go through 180 gallons of secret sauce and 2,600 loaves of bread.
That much sauce translates into a serious amount of income. Income that the Lioness transfer back to the community. The group has supported major projects for the Boys and Girls Club, the Cancer Foundation, Care Moses Lake, and innumerous smaller but significant grants and scholarships each year.
After helping so many, they are now asking for our help. The Lioness are seeking new members. At about 22 members, they are only at half capacity. They need women to join as members, and lots of volunteers.
“We meet the third Monday of every month at the Moses Lake School District building at 5:15pm for about 1-1.5 hours,” Graser said, “Committees work outside of the meetings and report to full board, but sometimes meetings about donations go long.” Graser expressed a sentiment shared by almost every nonprofit and committee-led organization in this Venue: that kids these days do not volunteer enough. And by kids, they mean everyone under age of 50 years old.
With a service organization like the Lioness, you have an opportunity to make a difference with impactful decisions that shape the present and future of our community – all with only one meeting a month. A board member usually has a lasting, steady commitment of involvement. A volunteer has a lot of flexibility to work as much or as little as they are able.
The Lioness Lions of Moses Lake is a historic organization that deserves our thanks, our lunch money, and our time. Contact them on Facebook today to volunteer!
