ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - DeKalb County leaders are calling on state officials to make sure more than 1 million Georgians, including tens of thousands of county residents, don’t go hungry as the federal government shutdown drags on.

Around 1.4 million people across Georgia are set to lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Saturday if the shutdown continues.

On Thursday, county commissioners Ted Terry and LaDena Bolton urged state leadership to dip into Georgia’s budget surplus of more than $14 billion to cover the benefits.

>> WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW:

“Here in DeKalb, 14% of our residents use food stamps. That’s over 100,000 people. They’re seniors, grandparents, working moms and children who need that money to buy groceries,” Terry,

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