Baltimore County, Md. (Nov. 10, 2025) — In response to the ongoing government shutdown, the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) continues to commit significant institutional resources to protect its most vulnerable students and to provide support to faculty and staff.
From the beginning of the shutdown, CCBC made special provisions to protect employees and students facing financial hardships brought on by the government closure. Most recently, the college added an additional benefit for students facing food insecurity with the loss of SNAP benefits. CCBC initiatives to date include the following.
In addition to these direct financial measures, the Office of Student Engagement is beefing up the stock within the campus-based food pantries through a targeted fundraising campaign with the CCBC Foundation.
CCBC’s actions are critical to a student body heavily reliant on federal support. Approximately 85% of CCBC’s 55,000 students come from low-income households. Unsurprisingly, nearly 7,000 CCBC students qualify for SNAP benefits, a lifeline now paused.
Even before the shutdown, student food insecurity was evident on campus. In the fall of 2024, CCBC’s food pantries distributed 26,000 items and saw 7,225 visits from 1,034 students. These numbers are expected to increase significantly in the current climate.
“Supporting and making an investment in our people and our students is an investment in our future,” President Kurtinitis added. “At CCBC, we believe that ‘Everyone of Us Counts,’ and we support that belief by ‘Taking Actions that Matter!’ Our response to the negative impact on our employees is an example of CCBC taking meaningful action to live that mantra.”
Since 1957, CCBC has opened the doors to accessible, affordable, high-quality education empowering generations of area residents to transform their lives and the lives of others. Each year, over 50,000 students enroll at the college’s main campuses, extension centers and online to make their starts, earn degrees, launch and build careers. CCBC offers the region’s most expansive selection of degree, certificate and workplace certification programs that prepare students for transfer, job entry and career advancement in such industries as business, education, health care, information technology, cybersecurity, construction, and transportation. Designated as the “Best Community College” among the Maryland Daily Record’s 2024 Reader Rankings, CCBC is also nationally recognized as a leader in innovative learning strategies and among the nation’s top associate degree producers.