President Barack Obama celebrated Father's day a few days early by having an impromptu lunch with two members of the military and two local barbers.

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Obama is touting a mentoring initiative aimed at reaching out to fathers with positive parenting advice from barbers and barbershops.

He ate a barbecue lunch of ribs, collard greens and corn bread, telling his Capitol Hill lunch guests that "barbershops are a good place" to share advice on taking responsibility for children.

The Health and Human Services initiative is called "Fatherhood Buzz." It reaches out to dads with positive parenting advice through barbershops.

Longtime Northeast barbers Nurney Mason and Otis "Big O" Gamble say they got the opportunity of a lifetime, having lunch with the President as he promoted "Fatherhood Buzz."

They say they spoke about kids and the value and importance of raising them.

Longtime fathers themselves, both Gamble and longtime shop owner Mason say they use their shop to promote father figures in kids lives.

They say they do simple things like having the kids play checkers or giving them lollipops, and kids never forget it.

"They come back and say 'can I have my lollipop?' I said, 'sure you can have your lollipop, I give you two this time.'"

The Associated Press contributed to this story.