Love pancakes? Eat a stack and help a nonprofit

Local IHOP franchise owner Mitchell Wang of Clear Lake is offering a special deal at his two franchise locations on Tuesday, March 1, in honor of National Pancake Day.

From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., diners will get free buttermilk pancakes in exchange for a donation to Shriners Hospitals.

The nonprofit organization provides medical care to children with orthopedic conditions, burns and spinal cord injuries.

Wang said he hopes to raise a combined $7,000 for Shriners at two IHOP restaurants he operates: 401 Marina Bay Drive in Kemah, and 803 E. NASA Parkway in Webster.

Last year, he raised a combined $6,200.

Close to his heart

Wang, a proud fez-wearing Shriner, said one of his restaurant managers has a daughter who has been treated at Shriners Hospital for Children-Houston since she was 6.

Sarah Mounce, now 14, has cerebral palsy and requires orthopedic braces, said her mother Desiree Brown.

"There would be no way to get Sarah everything she needs if it wasn't for Shriners," Brown said.

"I'm very thankful for them."

Brown and Sarah will be at the Kemah IHOP on Tuesday, where diners can also watch Shriners clowns compete in pancake-flipping contests.

"I like to bring Sarah," Brown said, "because she loves pancakes, and because it gives people a visual of what Shriners does."