Across the country, there were long lines Saturday at food pantries and drive-through giveaways after monthly federal food benefits were suddenly cut off because of the ongoing government shutdown.

Driven by desperation, people picked up free meals and groceries to make up for the money they had counted on from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, not knowing when their EBT cards will be replenished.

“If I didn't have the pantry to come to, I don't know how we would make it,” said Mary Martin, who usually divvies up the roughly $200 she receives each month in SNAP benefits between herself and her two adult sons, including one who has six children.

She regularly supplements her SNAP payments with food from the World of Life Christian Fellowship International pantry in the Bronx, N.Y., where about 200 more people than usual, many bundled in winter hats and coats and pushing collapsible shopping carts, patiently waited in a line that spanned multiple city blocks. Some had arrived as early as 4 a.m. to choose from pallets of fruits, vegetables, bread, milk, juice, dry goods and prepared sandwiches.

“Because I don't know what they’re gonna do with the SNAP, I need the (food pantry) benefits so I can help him,” she said, referring to her son with the six children. "I'm not gonna see my grandkids suffer.”

The Department of Agriculture planned to withhold payments to the food program starting on Saturday until two federal judges ordered the administration to make them. However, it was unclear as to when the debit cards that beneficiaries use to buy groceries could be reloaded after the ruling, sparking fear and confusion among many recipients.

In an apparent response to President Donald Trump, who said he would provide the money but wanted more legal direction from the court, the federal judge in Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon laid out a potential roadmap.

The delay in SNAP payments, a major piece of the nation's social safety net that serves about 42 million people, has highlighted the financial vulnerabilities facing Americans. Rev. John Udo-Okon, from the Bronx food pantry, said he's been seeing “people from all walks of life” seeking help.

“The pantry is no longer for the poor, for the elderly, for the needy. The pantry now is for the whole community, everybody. You see people will drive in their car and come and park and wait to see if they can get food," he said.

In Austell, Georgia, people sitting in hundreds of cars in drive-through lanes picked up non-perishable and perishable bags of food on Saturday. Must Ministries says it handed out food to about 1,000 people, more than a typical bi-monthly food delivery.

Families in line said they were worried about not getting SNAP benefits in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

At a drive-through food giveaway Saturday morning at the Calvary Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, SNAP recipient James Jackson, 74, said he was frustrated that people are being hurt by decisions made in Washington. He said lawmakers should try harder to understand the challenges brought by poverty and food insecurity.

“If you’ve never been poor, you don’t know what it is to be poor,” he said. “I hope that it turns around. I hope that people get their SNAP benefits and I hope we just come together where we can love each other and feed each other and help each other.”

While there's typically a long line for the church's drive-through events, where boxes of food are given out, Samuel L. Whitlow, pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church, said said the church's walk-in food pantry has seen an increase in need in recent weeks, with roughly 60 additional people showing up this week to pick up food donations.