09/30/2026
Today, we were humbled and honored to present a check to our dear friend and Charlieās family member, Kailee Hines-Husemann, wife of Jacob and mom to their three beautiful children ā all under the age of six.
Jacob was a valuable part of the Catfish Charlieās crew in our early years. He was the kind of employee who stepped up wherever he was needed, usually with a goofy smile on his face and a few jokes to go along with it.
And when we say wherever he was needed, we mean it.
Over the years, Jacob took on plenty of āside questsā for our family, too. When we needed help moving homes, Jacob was there. Eventually, he even took on the responsibility of having a key to Charlieās so he could unlock the restaurant and help our food distributor stock the freezer. He became someone our family genuinely trusted and could count on.
Jacob was constantly trying to better his situation for his family, often leaving Charlieās for construction or manual labor jobs that offered better pay or benefits ā and we got it. Everything he did was about providing for Kailee and those babies.
And somehow, he was also one of the few cooks who could sweet-talk the servers in the window instead of participating in the usual kitchen banter. šā¤ļø
Kailee was part of our Charlieās world, too. She spent plenty of evenings at the restaurant waiting for Jacob to clock out, often bringing the kiddos along for a few catfish nuggets while Dad finished his shift.
This family isnāt just made up of people who once worked here. Theyāre part of the Charlieās familyā¦. And last weekend, YOU showed up for them.
Through our Helping the Husemanns fundraiser, you donated $1,270. Lola personally matched $1,300, allowing us to present Kailee with a check for $2,570. That happened because of YOU.
Every dollar. Every person who stopped by. Every share. Every kind word. Every person who dropped something into that donation jar. Butā¦
$2,570? Come on, Charlieās family. We can do even more. ā¤ļø We arenāt done honoring Jacob yet.
This weekend, weāre setting a goal of raising ANOTHER $2,500 for Kailee and the kids ā and weāre giving you a few different ways to help us get there.
ā¤ļø HEARTS FOR THE HUSEMANNS
For a $5 donation, you can purchase a paper heart and write your name, a message for Kailee and the kids, a favorite memory of Jacob, or simply a few words of love and encouragement.
Weāll hang every single heart throughout Charlieās. Our goal? Cover this place in them.
We want Kailee and those babies to be able to look around and physically SEE just how many people are standing behind them.
š¹ A DRINK FOR JACOB
Weāre also working on a special cocktail for the weekend, with a portion of every drink sold going directly to the Husemann family.
And because this is Charlieās and apparently we donāt know how to do anything halfwayā¦
šļø Do we hear a 50/50 raffle in the future?!
Of course, our donation jar will also be available all weekend for anyone who simply wants to give.
Jacob was the sole provider for his family. Every dollar raised will go directly toward helping Kailee and their three children with funeral and burial expenses, household bills, groceries and the ongoing expenses that come with raising three little ones as they adjust to life without their husband and dad.
There is no amount of money that can make this loss okay. But there IS something we can do. We can take a little weight off Kaileeās shoulders. We can show those three babies how loved their dad was. We can take care of one of our own.
So letās fill the walls with hearts.
Letās fill that donation jar.
Letās raise a glass to Jacob.
Letās sell the heck out of that 50/50.
Letās share his story.
And letās raise another $2,500 for the Husemann family. ā¤ļø Rest easy, Jacob. Weāre going to keep looking out for your people.
