UCHealth donated more than 15,000 pounds of food to local nonprofit last year, according to a release.

“It’s such a simple way to help people in our community,” John O’Brien, the hospital’s executive chef, said in a news release.

The hospital has partnered with We Don’t Waste, a Denver nonprofit, since 2013.

This isn’t leftovers or food that’s gone bad.

We Don’t Waste reroutes excess food bound to the landfill to — among others — food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools and daycare programs.

As much as 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten or unsold, according to We Don’t Waste.

In Colorado, nearly half a million people — about 142,000 of whom are children — face hunger, according to Feeding America, a national network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs.

Hospital food donations typically include breads, frozen meals as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.

“After ten years of partnership, we can’t even begin to count how many thousands of people we’ve impacted through this food,” Arlan Preblud, We Don’t Waste founder, said in a statement.

Visit wedontwaste.org to learn more.

Editor’s note: Healthy Bites is a recurring update on health care related topics by health reporter Nicole C. Brambila.