For many of us, pancakes are a guilty pleasure. Finally, a day when you can feel really good about them. It's National Pancake Day, and IHOP which means you can dig into a free short stack, and help-out BC Children's Hospital with a donation as you leave.

The event runs until 7 pm tonight with a free stack of IHOP's world-famous buttermilk pancakes for all takers. Instead of paying for the pancakes customers are urged to make a donation to the cause. Nationwide the money goes to the Children's Miracle Network. 14 Hospitals in Canada are members of that network, including BC Children's. 

This is the seventh year for the event and it's raised close to half a million dollars so far. "We're just asking people to make a donation if they can," said Ryan Harrison, the manager at the Kelowna IHop. "It goes to our charity and we appreciate it, but we also just want people to come in and just enjoy our pancakes."

 "Super excited about it," said one young woman on the way into the IHOP at Harvey and Spall, "free pancakes?"

"We just stumbled across this," said one happy customer inside."We thought we should go for breakfast," she said. "And I love it when we can come and support a charity."

"It's been getting bigger and bigger every year. We do it all over the world now," added Harrison. "It's been getting great reviews, great publicity and raising lots of money for BC Children's Hospital."

The restaurant was doing a brisk business in the late morning, and bracing for a big rush expected in the after school hours.