Here's your friendly reminder: IHOP will be serving up free pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Dine-in customers will receive one free short stack.

The pancakes are free, but diners will be encouraged to make a donation to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The restaurant chain hopes to raise $3 million for the charity.

More than 1,500 IHOP restaurants are participating in National Pancake Day this year.

Here's a friendly reminder about the first of several upcoming free food opportunities:

Starting at 7 a.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 28, IHOP is celebrating National Pancake Day with a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes for every customer.

In return, customers are asked to consider making a donation to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other designated local charities.

The giveaway runs through 10 p.m. That's 15 hours of free pancakes.

IHOP restaurants across the country will be participating. Click here to find a nearby location.

Who doesn't like a freebie? Especially when the freebie involves food.

We've been on a roll lately with free food offers from a variety of restaurants, including Panda Express, Bruegger's, Burger King and Papa John's.

The good news is this: there's even more to come.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming food freebies:

I thought I'd share a look behind-the-scenes at the healthy eating photo shoot that ran with today's story and recipes.  Andrea and I have to laugh when people approach us with the misconception that writing and shooting food is "glamorous."  Often, we are at one of our houses with Andrea working away on dishes and me moving around furniture and unwrapping borrowed dishes while we both fight off a gaggle of dogs just waiting for a moment of weakness on our part.  On this particular shoot, we were at my house and I had already shooed my 90-pound dog to the back yard.  This, of course, opened a window for my 7-pound mutt, Franny, to leap up on a kitchen chair between my feet and literally try to snatch a pancake from the plate I was shooting.  I caught her just before she dug into my styled dish but it was a close one.

The N.C. Runnin Rebels youth basketball team of Clayton needs money
for new uniforms and travel expenses, and they're working hard to raise
it.

At 8 a.m. Saturday, the Rebels will conduct a Flapjack Fundraiser at
the Applebee’s Restaurant located at 501 E. Six Forks Road in Raleigh.

The fundraiser is part of a larger program conducted by the area Applebee's franchisee.