As the stalemate over the government shutdown continues, community members across metro Atlanta are stepping up to help people dealing with food insecurity.

On Friday, two federal judges ruled that President Trump's administration must continue to fund SNAP, the nation's biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown.

The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation's social safety net. Word in October that it would be a Nov. 1 casualty of the shutdown sent states, food banks, and SNAP recipients scrambling to figure out how to secure food.

While other states have said they would spend their own funds to keep versions of the program going, Georgia has not. To help fill the need, a grassroots organization in Stone Mountain gave away more than 11,000 pounds of food on Friday morning.

Organizers with Purpose Filled Community Outreach said that almost 270 people came out to pick up food, more than they originally anticipated based on attendance at past events.

Founder Tiffany Ross said her organization typically gives out food three times a week, but she's seen the need triple within the past week.

"As fast as we're collecting, as fast as it's going out," Ross said. "So we do need that additional help, whether that's people donating tangible goods or donating financially so that we can buy more inventory." 

Recipients at the event say they rely on SNAP assistance and giveaways like Purpose Filled Community Outreach's to keep them afloat.

"My rent is one of our checks. So when we go to look for food, we still have to pay all the utilities. We have to do all of that. So the food stamps, they really, really help," Shantel Carter-Wilburn said. She said the food insecurity exacerbates her health problems.

 "Especially being a diabetic. And then I've had gastric bypass. So that's another thing. So food is definitely a big issue in my life," Carter Wilburn said. 

Ross said seven volunteers came to help at Friday's event. Eric Davis was one of them.

"When you see that smile on somebody else, it kind of makes your day, being able to bless somebody else like that," Davis said.

While the Atlanta Community Food Bank donated most of the food for the giveaway, Ross said it costs around $1,500 to $1,900 a month to fund the events. She worries about how her organization and the area's food banks are going to meet the growing need she's seeing.

"This surge, though, is going to deplete our inventory for future drives," she said. 

Ross said Stone Mountain has an underrepresented community of refugees and people facing homelessness who rely on their giveaways, and they are stretching themselves to serve anyone in need.

With the judge's ruling, it is not clear how quickly the debit cards that beneficiaries use to buy groceries could be reloaded. That process often takes one to two weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.