Founded by Coluche in 1985, the Restos du Cœur is an association governed by the French law of 1901, 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 persons, particularly in the area of food through access to free meals, and by contributing to their social and economic integration, as well as any action against poverty in all its forms".