To the donations which are made through the iFood application benefit eight of the company's partner NGOs, one of which is Gastromotiva. This organization, founded in 2006 by chef and social entrepreneur David Hertz, combines education with food security.
The history of Gastromotiva begins with the purpose of making gastronomy teaching accessible and training low-income people to work in the food sector.
Thus, starting from education, Gastromotiva began training young talents from communities in buffets where they deepened their knowledge of gastronomy. Later, this training also began to be carried out in courses at universities that partner with the NGO.
“Over the years, the organization expanded its areas of activity within social gastronomy”, says David. Thus, its activities “deepened into topics such as food security, through projects that include the distribution of meals, monitoring and nutritional education”.
Along this development path, Gastromotiva began to operate in new fields, such as the environment. In other words, the NGO also turned its attention to the sustainability of the food cycle and began to think of creative solutions to combat the food waste and reduce the environmental impact of its processes.
Solidarity kitchen
Today, one of the NGO's main projects is Refettorio Gastromotiva, opened in 2016 in Rio — and which David considers an Olympic legacy for the city. That year, the capital of Rio de Janeiro hosted the Olympic Games.
In this way, Refettorio is a school restaurant in which students from Gastromotiva courses in Rio and guest chefs cook meals for people in socially vulnerable situations. These are Solidarity Dinners, which also include volunteers in the dining room.
Furthermore, another relevant project is Solidarity Kitchens. Launched in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the program establishes community kitchens where meals are produced for individuals and families in situations of need. food insecurity.
These kitchens are managed by micro-entrepreneurs, cooks, local leaders and collectives and social organizations. However, Gastromotiva provides inputs, logistical support and training for the agents in charge of the structure.
Furthermore, the project also includes training in Social Kitchen, a course aimed at generating initiatives with a positive social impact in the territories where Solidarity Kitchens are implemented.
Speaking of territorial milestones, in 2022 Gastromotiva expanded its operating radius to the Central-West, establishing its presence in all Brazilian regions.
In the international arena, the NGO arrived in Mexico City, its third hub of activity outside Brazil – it has also carried out actions in South Africa and El Salvador.
Finally, for 2023, Gastromotiva plans to intensify educational programs focused on generating income. And it wants to continue projects focused on promoting the right to food in peripheral communities and for people experiencing food insecurity. “Hunger is a structural issue and depends on the involvement and commitment of all sectors”, highlights David.
The impact of the partnership with iFood
For Gastromotiva, forming partnerships with companies, governments and the third sector is essential to combat hunger. “A successful development agenda requires partnerships built on common principles and values. It also addresses a shared vision and goals that put people and the planet at the center”, explains the social entrepreneur.
Thus, based on this premise, the NGO co-founded, in 2018, the Social Gastronomy Movement. It brings together companies and organizations that explore gastronomy as a tool for social inclusion and combating hunger.
Therefore, David considers the alliance with iFood to be strategic. “iFood is one of Gastromotiva’s main institutional partners. It is extremely important, as the contribution of donation from app users allows us to maintain and expand our transformation projects.”
Therefore, for him, the fact that iFood is a platform that also uses gastronomy as a means, shows the synergy of this partnership in areas such as professional training. “The shares together tend to grow over the years”, he says.
In 2022, donations collected on the iFood app yielded more than R$ 696 thousand to Gastromotiva. With this resource, the NGO produced and distributed 66,889 meals, benefiting 19,985 people in situations of food insecurity.
The resources raised via iFood during the year were also allocated, in March, to Petrópolis Solidarity Kitchen. This was in response to the public calamity situation that the city faced as a result of the rains.
This action enabled the production and distribution of 4,759 meals, mobilizing 32 volunteers and benefiting 2,234 people.
By the end of March 2023, the partnership between iFood and Gastromotiva has the goal of reaching the mark of R$ 2 million raised since it began.
Finally, among this year's campaigns, Multiplicando Sorrisos stands out, which also includes the participation of PepsiCo Brasil. From January 19th to February 2nd, PepsiCo will double the amounts donated through the iFood app to causes supported by Gastromotiva.
