Image via Facebook.

By Matt Pharr, Contributor

This Monday, Jan. 21, from 2 to 6 p.m., the Georgia Beer Garden will host Coffee & Cake for Kids — a fundraiser to benefit Big Bethel AME Church’s Saturday School Academy as part of this year’s Martin Luther King Day of Service.

The Academy is a community outreach program run by Reverend Bessie Donaldson, focusing on computer and academic literacy for downtown youths. The Saturday School Academy program helps children develop social skills, etiquette, self-esteem and a love for oneself with an emphasis on making healthy choices.

“This lovechild of a Bake Sale and the Day of Service after party is designed to be a social hour for the many volunteers in the area, as well as a relaxed way to continue giving back to the community,” program materials read. “Senior members of Big Bethel AME Church, the oldest African-American congregation in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood, will provide the delicious baked goods, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to support the Saturday Academy.”

Senior members of Big Bethel’s congregation will be baking their favorite treats and telling stories about how Sweet Auburn has changed over the years. “Georgia Beer Garden believes in conversations and strong community bonds,” program materials state. “We hope this will be an opportunity for people to meet someone new, hear about their lives and share their own journeys over coffee and cake.”

Among the bakers are Atlanta native and Grady High alum Pamela Fleming, 65, who will be serving key lime cupcakes and Miriam Redding, 78, who will be cooking up her classic pound cake. “The love for cooking I got from my mother, and when she passed I started to bake the pound cakes for the family,” Redding shares. “I am the 12th of 14 children so I had to get it right.”

The event is designed to be a social hour for the many volunteers in the area as well as a way to give back to the community. For more information or to RSVP for the event, click here.