Local businesses lend a hand to the community

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Local businesses are reaching out a helping hand to community members amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minnie’s Beach Café, at 5360 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach, is offering free breakfasts and lunches to local kids in need. In addition, if anyone is having trouble finding fresh eggs, produce or any items other than paper goods, the staff at the café is willing to help. Call the restaurant with what you’re looking for and, if they have it, the staff is willing to sell supplies to the public. And if you need something but can’t get out and live locally, they’ll deliver your order to you. The restaurant also is offering freshly prepared food to-go. Minnie’s Beach Café can be reached at 941-778-4140. The restaurant is open for pick up from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

The Sandbar Restaurant and Mar Vista are both offering farm fresh organic produce boxes to the public. Each box of vegetables comes straight from Worden Farms and features an assortment of salad greens, root vegetables, culinary herbs, cooking greens and other organic veggies. Each box is $30 with orders delivered to The Sandbar on Thursdays for pick up after 1 p.m. and to Mar Vista on Thursdays for pick up after 2 p.m. The vegetable boxes are the farmer’s choice and cannot be customized.

Both restaurants also have a menu of freshly prepared dishes for pick up along with a selection of grocery items including eggs, cheese, fresh meat and seafood, pasta, fresh vegetables and bottles of wine, beer and liquor. For more information, or to place your order, visit Mar Vista online to order or The Sandbar online to order. Pickup from both locations is available daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Mar Vista is located at 760 Broadway St. on Longboat Key. The Sandbar is at 100 Spring Ave. in Anna Maria.

Over in Cortez, the Swordfish Grill and Tiki Bar also is offering not only some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes to-go but groceries, bait, ice, deli supplies and sandwiches, beer, wine and liquor for pick up by land or by boat. The food menu and available groceries change daily as do the groceries available which range from fresh vegetables to milk and eggs, seafood, deli meats and cheeses, fresh bread and even a few paper goods. The restaurant, located at 4628 119th St. W. or at mile marker 49 by boat, is accepting orders online or by phone at 941-798-2035.