Central Texas food banks are under pressure from state's high food insecurity

Twice a week starting around 6:30 a.m., drivers head to a parking lot in South Austin. Once there, volunteers direct them into orderly rows, where they are ushered forward one-by-one to open their doors and receive a bundle of free food.

The process, coordinated by the staff of El Buen Samaritano, is meant to squeeze as many cars as possible into a small space, preventing the line for the nonprofit organization’s food pantry from stretching around the block where it has previously backed up traffic.

On a recent Tuesday, Maria Torres was among that group, waiting alone in a white SUV.