The Incredible Way Chefs Are Feeding the Poor During the Olympics

The number of inspiring stories coming out of this year's Olympics keeps growing and growing. To help feed the hungry in Rio de Janeiro, two chefs have started a project called RefettoRio Gastromotiva that creates meals using the ingredients left over from the Olympic Village, where thousands of athletes are staying. The aim is to fight food waste, malnutrition, and social exclusion, according to its website.

Michelin-starred Italian chef Massimo Bottura and Brazilian chef David Hertz spearheaded the initiative, but chefs from all over the world are participating to serve up to 5,000 meals a day; they hope to continue to serve Rio's poor even after the Olympics are over and have received support from the city, which provided a building for RefettoRio Gastromotiva to use for the next 10 years, reports ABC News.

The space has become a cultural hub of sorts, combining food, artwork, and new talent. "Refettorio Gastromotiva will bring nourishment, culture, and dignity for all, in a place full of art," reads its website. It will also serve as a school for young cooks.

Bottura isn't new to this type of work. He founded Refettorio Ambrosiano in Milan during the World Expo in 2015, when he turned an old theater into a place where refugees and the poor could eat meals cooked by chefs using leftovers from the expo's events.

Brazil has been hit with an economic crisis and has millions of its citizens living in poverty, which makes RefettoRio Gastromotiva an even more significant example of hope.