COVINGTON, Ga. - Patrons can support local nonprofit organization Action Ministries at a special event next week. The Irish Bred Pub & Restaurant on the Square in downtown Covington is holding IBP Gives Back: Action Ministries Piedmont Newton, a special night of dining to support Action Ministries' Smart Lunch Smart Kid Summer Nutrition Program. 

By dining at the Irish Bred Pub & Restaurant on Monday, May 14 between 5-9 p.m., a portion of patrons' bills will be donated to the program.

"We are always looking for ways to partner with local organizations that help local students, and this is a great program to highlight," Jack Phillips, owner of the Irish Bred Pub and Restaurant, said. "We hold Spirit Nights throughout the years to give to local schools and programs, and this is a way to expand our thankfulness to these service organizations."

That night, 10 percent of food sales will support this local program. According to Action Ministries, they started the program because too many of Georgia’s children struggle with the challenge of poverty. About 28 percent do not know where their next meal will come from. In Newton County, more than 70 percent of school-aged children are eligible to receive free or reduced lunch at school - a crucial meal that disappears in the summer.

Action Ministries’ Smart Lunch Smart Kid Program works to bridge the nutrition and education gap that children face when school is not in session. In partnership with many in the Newton County community, from June 4 through July 31, 2018, Action Ministries will deliver meals and enrichment activities to children in the communities where they live, eliminating the barrier of transportation.

“We are honored to partner with Irish Bred Pub around their Giving Back Mondays initiative, and we are so appreciative to all who come out and dine on Monday, May 14 and Monday, June 11,” Tamara C. Richardson, regional development director for Action Ministries, said. “Special thanks to Pub owners Jack and Lisa Phillips for sharing this opportunity with Action Ministries.”

More information about the program and volunteering is available on their website at www.actionministries.net. Reservations to the event are not required, but suggested, especially for large parties, by calling 678.712.9145. The Pub is located at 1115 Church Street on the Square in Historic Downtown Covington, Georgia.

Seating is available in the front restaurant part of the building looking out to the Square, in the back Pub bar area or, weather permitting, on the outside balcony giving a birds-eye view of the Square from the front of the building.

The Pub will again support this program on June 11 with another event.