When food waste gets attention, news reports generally train on the safe and edible food thrown out by restaurants and grocery stores. But of the 133 billion pounds of food thrown out in the U.S. in 2010, two-thirds of it came from our own kitchens.

Much of it is wasted food — fruit that is thrown out because it’s slightly overripe or bruised; food that got pushed to the back of the fridge where it spoiled; or food that was tossed because the “expires on,” “best by” or “use by” dates had passed (those dates aren’t intended as food-safety guides, but are the manufacturers’ estimates of how long the food will look and taste the best).

Wasted food is a tragedy, a waste of resources and energy, a waste of opportunity to provide nutrition to those who need it.

Two national organizations, AmpleHarvest.org and GreenFaith, are encouraging faith leaders around the country to call on their congregations and communities to reduce food waste and direct more of that food to end hunger. Hunger’s root cause, the organizations say, is the waste of food.

Here’s a solution: Of the billions of pounds of food wasted, about 11 billion of it is grown in home and community gardens — food that is greatly prized at food banks.

Kitsap’s food banks encourage gardeners to bring in their overabundance. The produce doesn’t need special handling; box it up or bag it and bring it in (first, wash dirt from potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables).

You can help with the harvest even if you don’t have a garden. Check with your local food bank for opportunities to glean from local fields and orchards to help stock their shelves.

And forget skulking around trying to foist zucchini off on the unsuspecting. Your local food bank will take it.

Bremerton Food Line, 1600 12th St., Bremerton. 360-479-6188. www.bremertonfoodline.org.

Central Kitsap Food Bank, 3537 NW Anderson Hill Road, Silverdale. 360-692-9818. www.ckfoodbank.org.