Founded by Coluche in 1985, the Restos du Cœur is an association under the 1901 law, recognized as being in the public interest, under the official name "the Restaurants of the Heart – the Relays of the Heart". Its purpose is "to help and provide voluntary assistance to disadvantaged people, particularly in the food sector through access to free meals, and through participation in their social and economic integration, as well as any action against poverty in all its forms".