WINTER PARK, Fla. — One Central Florida mother is stepping up to make sure students in need are able to have a snack during the school day.
Courtney Talisse is doing it through simple donations, and is making a difference for thousands of students in Seminole and Orange counties.
Talisse says she never imagined that daily trips from her house to her car to load up boxes of snacks would become part of her routine.
“It’s like Christmas. You never know what you’re coming home to,” Talisse said, describing the donations dropped off at her front door by community members.
Talisse’s mission began with her son, who came home from school one day and told her that some of his classmates didn’t have a snack during snack time.
“That didn’t sit right with me,” Talisse said. “So I knew the next day I had to do something. I created an Amazon wish list in hopes to get at least enough donations for his school. But the donations were so overwhelming that I decided to start delivering them to all local schools.”
Talisse founded Snacks for Students, a program that delivers snacks to local schools in both Seminole and Orange counties. Since launching the initiative, she has donated to more than 20 elementary schools, making deliveries at least twice a week.
She’s become a familiar face at schools like Eastbrook Elementary in Winter Park, where staff and students alike welcome her efforts.
Talisse said she’s heard directly from schools about how her efforts are making a difference.
“I’ve learned about kids going to the clinic with stomachaches because they think they’re sick," she said. "But really, it’s because they haven’t eaten. Families are barely able to get food on the table, much less bring a snack for their children in school. It’s been an overwhelming response from the community to want to help these kids.”
Eastbrook Elementary teacher Stephanie Torres has worked at the school for eight years.
Eastbrook Elementary is a Title I school, and Torres said donations like Talisse’s have a significant impact on her students’ confidence and engagement.
“When my students see the snacks in the classroom, they immediately get so happy,” she said. “They actually have a snack they can eat and bond with their classmates in the classroom.”
Talisse said she is reminded of her son’s story every time she makes a delivery.
“I knew this was my calling. This is what I’m supposed to be doing,” she said. “I get so much joy in being able to deliver these snacks to students, knowing that I’m helping them learn better every day and making their lives a little easier.”