Foodie frugalistas have been in a frenzy over Houston Restaurant Week, in which those of us with a taste for haute cuisine can dine at the city's best restaurants at reduced rates for three weeks. But the more righteous motive behind participation is the donation of a portion of the proceeds ($3 per $20 lunch menu, $5 per $35 dinner) to the Houston Food Bank.

The program has provided diners with inexpensive suppers, but what about the actual impact on the non-profit? Participants will be pleased to learn that the food bank benefits incredibly from the initiative.

"Houston Restaurant Week is wonderful — last year we came through with $241,000, and that's huge for us," Houston Food Bank chief communications officer Betsy Ballard says. "Every dollar that we spend equates to three meals for an individual."

That means that last year's event contributed 723,000 meals to the city's empty stomachs.

And 2010 is poised to be a record-setting year for the program, as the roster of participating restaurants has risen from 80 to 130. (Houston Restaurant Week runs through the end of Saturday night.)

"We've had reports that they've had an increase in diners," Ballard tells CultureMap.

Contrary to common belief, the Houston Food Bank is not a soup kitchen — it's a large-scale distribution center that last year dispersed 65 million pounds to over 400 hunger relief agencies in the area. The promising Restaurant Week reports are vital to the food bank.

With the impact of the economic recession, the food bank has witnessed a 70 percent increase in the number of relief agencies it serves over the past four years. The organization now feeds an estimated 137,000 people a week, compared to 80,000 four years ago.

Meanwhile, the bistros lining Houston's boulevards are serving bargain-minded customers who may not typically check in for a multi-course meal — and if the chefs show their skills, they can reap the rewards of repeat diners.