7 Year Old Girl With Large Stack Of Pancakes. Getty Images.
The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) is celebrating National Pancake Day by giving away free pancakes.
In many English-speaking countries, Pancake Day is the also known as Shrove Day, which is the last day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (yep, Fat Tuesday is also on this day). The pancake part comes from the last ditch attempt to feast on high-fat foods (hello, butter and syrup!) before the fasting of Lent.
(More on TIME.com: Free food! If you can stomach it)
However, National Pancake Day has come early to IHOP, who is celebrating the breakfast food a week before Shrove Day, on March 1. The pancake house is honoring the stackable cakes by giving away a free “short stack” to all of their customers. The event also works as a fundraiser, as IHOP encourages pancake-eating patrons to donate to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
The Daily Caller reports that “IHOP hopes to beat last year’s total of just over $2.1 million and raise $2.3 million this year.”
Though IHOP’s day of pancake celebrating doesn’t coincide with that other Pancake Day, we suppose it is for a good cause. And no one really needs to twist NewsFeed’s arm to gorge on pancakes for two Tuesdays in a row. (via Daily Caller)