ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The longest government shutdown in U.S. history has ended, but its effects are still being felt across Georgia, especially among residents who rely on food assistance.

For weeks, millions of Americans who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program worried their benefits could be delayed or cut.

That uncertainty weighed heavily on 74-year-old Suzy Moore, a retired nurse living on a fixed income in Lawrenceville. Moore receives just $23 a month in SNAP benefits and stretches it through buy-one-get-one grocery deals and local food assistance programs.

“I never thought I would be on SNAP. I always thought I could pay my own way, that I was good,” Moore said.

Moore said the stress of not knowing whether her benefits would arrive took a toll o

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