8 Chefs Leading the Charge Against Hunger

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Even in the land of plenty, hunger is a real issue. One in five Americans lives in a household that can’t always put food on the table. Food banks and federal programs step in to help out, but the war on hunger has some lesser-known heroes as well: chefs who donate their skills and celebrity to feed the hungry. Here are five chefs cooking up a little kindness.

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Bryan and Michael Voltaggio

Sixth-season Top Chef competitors and brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio will be joining Share Our Strength, a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating childhood hunger, to host a multicourse benefit dinner on September 13.

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Italian Chef Bruno Serato

Serving up pasta to hungry children seven days a week in Anaheim, California, earned Italian Chef Bruno Serato the spot as a Top Ten CNN Hero in 2011. Serato says his mission in this world is to encourage others to give back too. “If I can feed more than 300 kids alone,” he told CNN, “all together we can feed millions.”

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Susan Feniger

STREET restaurant owner and chef Susan Feniger has lent her talent to Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation Event, which helps raise money to alleviate hunger.

(Photo: Jaime L. Mikle/Getty Images)

Robert Egger

Founder of DC Central Kitchen, Chef Robert Egger understands food as a tool to build community. Since 1989, he’s served more than 25 million meals to low-income Washington, D.C. residents. His staff gains as well—Egger trains unemployed men and women on culinary techniques to lead them on a path out of homelessness, addiction, or incarceration.

(Photo: The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Marcus Samuelsson

James Beard Best Chef of New York City and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson has thrown his support behind Skip Lunch Fight Hunger, an event to raise awareness of how many children can be fed with the small amount we spend on lunch.

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Emeril Lagasse

Food Network star Emeril Lagasse's Foundation provides ongoing support to initiatives that help at-risk children, including fresh foods cafeterias, teaching kitchens, and culinary learning centers.

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Tom Colicchio

Famous chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio has given his talent to "What's on the Table?," a benefit dinner in New York City that raises money and awareness for hunger.