My name is Saima Akhtar, and I’m a Senior Attorney with the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. Much of my work focuses on securing and expanding access to public benefits for low-income communities.
A few days ago, we learned that several generous donors have stepped up to provide a $60,000 matching gift for NCLEJ. To those generous individuals, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. After our announcement, many supporters have already donated to help us unlock this gift. If you haven’t yet donated, you still have an opportunity to do so right now.
This kind of money can make an enormous impact for an organization as small as ours and will help power our efforts to hold state agencies accountable when they fail to provide the public benefits that their citizens need and are entitled to by law.
The importance of our work cannot be overstated. Thanks to an NCLEJ lawsuit filed earlier this year, the State of Alaska agreed to halve their more than 10,000 person SNAP backlog.
I always say that no one eats retroactively, and food benefits received late do not remedy past hunger. Everyone needs to eat and drink every single day, which is why the incredible legal team at NCLEJ works diligently to secure the public benefits that low-income families rely on to stave off hunger and poverty.
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice advances racial and economic justice through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. We have provided legal representation and support since 1965.
