Posted: Monday, February 22, 2010 1:35 pm

In celebration of National Pancake Day, IHOP restaurants nationwide will offer each guest a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes in an effort to raise awareness and funds for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals.

For every delicious short stack of buttermilk pancakes served on National Pancake Day, IHOP guests are invited to make a donation to the Children’s Miracle Network. Donations made at IHOPs in the Nashville area will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

The free pancakes will be available from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday at IHOP’s Old Fort Parkway location.

This year, IHOP is hoping to stack up more donations than ever before, with a goal to raise $1.75 million, for a total of $5 million in five years with its National Pancake Day fundraising effort. To find a local IHOP or to donate online, visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.

Fun Facts From National Pancake Day 2009:

· Pancake lovers donated nearly $1.5 million to children’s charities, far exceeding the fundraising goal.

· IHOP served more than 2.5 million free pancakes on National Pancake Day 2009.

· All of the free pancakes served on National Pancake Day would create a stack more than 20 miles high.

· Since the inception of National Pancake Day in 2006, IHOP has raised more than $3.25 million and given away more than 6.1 million pancakes to support charities in the communities in which it operates.

· National Pancake Day 2009 was IHOP’s largest one-day event in the company’s 51-year history.