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Ricevuti i soldi, l'associazione ha sfamato altrettanti bambini.

Ricevuti i soldi, l'associazione ha sfamato altrettanti bambini.
Having received the money, the association fed as many children.
From Lesson 285:Expressing equality (altrettanto)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Ricevuti i soldi, l'associazione ha sfamato altrettanti bambini.

Why is altrettanti plural here?
In this sentence, altrettanti is acting as an adjective modifying bambini (masculine plural). When it means "as many" and describes a noun, it must change its ending to match that noun in gender and number.
Why does the sentence start with just Ricevuti instead of a phrase like "Dopo aver ricevuto"?
This is a common and elegant shortcut in Italian. By starting a clause with just a past participle, you create the meaning of "Once [something] was done" or "Having done [something]." Here, Ricevuti i soldi means "Once the money was received."
In that shortcut, why is the past participle spelled Ricevuti instead of the standard Ricevuto?
When you use this past participle shortcut, the participle acts like an adjective for the noun that follows it. Because i soldi (the money) is masculine plural, the participle must change its ending to match, becoming Ricevuti.
The verb sfamato looks related to the word for hunger. How does it work?
You spotted it! Sfamare is built from the prefix s- (which often removes or reverses something) and fame (hunger). So it literally means "to de-hunger" someone, or to satisfy their starvation. It is a stronger, more specific word than just giving them food.

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