Stores providing free and subsidized groceries have become a big focus as Georgians who rely on federal food assistance programs wonder if they'll have any benefits at all this week.

On Monday, President Trump's administration said that it will partially fund SNAP after two judge rulings required it to keep the aid program running.

However, it's not clear how much beneficiaries will receive, nor how quickly beneficiaries will see value show up on the debit cards they use to buy groceries. The process of loading the SNAP cards, which involves steps by state and federal government agencies and vendors, can take up to two weeks in some states. 

In Atlanta, Sen. Raphael Warnock visited the Goodr Community Market on Edgewood Avenue to emphasize the critical need for the continuation of SNAP and the urgency to end the government shutdown.

"SNAP recipients were not in this fight," Warnock said. "They were dragged into this fight by this administration."

Goodr CEO Jasmine Crowe-Houston said that her company's locations across metro Atlanta have seen high demand for free groceries during the shutdown.

"People are coming into my store and saying 'What am I going to do?'" she said.

As the shutdown gets closer to a record 35 days, Warnock said he would keep fighting for SNAP recipients.

"Food is a matter of life and death," he said.

In an exclusive interview with Norah O'Donnell for "60 Minutes," Mr. Trump pushed for a rewriting of Senate rules, abolishing the filibuster, and passing the budget with a simple majority — a move known as the "nuclear option."

Warnock pushed back on that idea, saying that both parties need to negotiate before the rules are changed.

"As I say every Sunday, the doors of the church are open, and I'm ready to talk," he said.

Meanwhile, Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Jane Kleeb, who was in Atlanta on Monday campaigning for candidates in the upcoming Public Service Commission race, says pain is being felt by all citizens.

"Whether you're a working-class or middle-class family right now ... butting off over 40 million people from having basic access to food is unconscionable," Kleeb said. 

While it's unclear how much of SNAP will be restored and when, food insecurity in metro Atlanta may be approaching an inflection point.