VINE VEGAN OFFERS FOOD RICH WITH CULTURE AND FAMILY VALUES

Three years ago, Danielle Stevens and her family decided to go vegan. A family decision to eat healthily and work to save animals quickly turned into a passion, prompting Stevens to start a vegan restaurant in Brandon.

Vine Vegan opened on December 1, 2022.

Stevens’ menu combines her passion for healthy, plant-based eating; bringing the community together; and creating dishes with a rich background of culture.

“I’m really excited to have a place where people can make memories with their families. … They get to do that in the comfort of a beautiful restaurant,” said Stevens.

Stevens was born and raised in America, but her mother is from England and her father was from South America. The Vine Vegan owner grew up in the kitchen creating flavorful dishes that honored all aspects of her heritage on the same menu.

“I kind of took things from all the different avenues of my life to come up with an eclectic menu that could satisfy anybody’s taste buds,” said Stevens.

The diverse menu of Vine Vegan includes comfort foods, superfood bowls, specialty lattes and other dishes for all customers. Stevens said around 65 percent of her customers are not vegan but come to enjoy the flavorful, healthy foods

By Lily Belcher

ofered in her store.

Vine Vegan was originally scheduled to open on Veteran’s Day in 2022 to honor Stevens’ father, who served as a colonel in the army. However, an issue with the hood system two days before its grand opening delayed the opening three weeks.

In October of 2019, Stevens’ father died of heart disease despite a healthy and active lifestyle.

Stevens saw a documentary called The Game Changers and saw the benefits of plant-based eating. With her family, they decided to start eating vegan to reduce their own chances of getting heart disease and increase their life span.

Now, Stevens and her 17 employees serve the Brandon community every day by providing a comfortable, homely atmosphere and good food for all guests.

Vine Vegan is located at 2080 Badlands Dr. in Brandon of Brandon Parkway. To view the menu or sign up for the newsletter, visit https://vinevegan.com/. For more information, call 813-939-8463 or email eat@vinevegan.com.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY’S SUNSHINE LINE IS A BEACON OF HOPE FOR THOSE WHO LACK ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION

Hillsborough County’s Sunshine Line provides reliable transportation solutions so that the county’s most vulnerable residents get to where they need so they can lead active, self-reliant and independent lives. This includes transportation to doctor’s appointments, banks, grocery stores and more.

Sunshine Line is a county department that provides transportation service for residents with disabilities or those who meet certain eligibility criteria. The three criteria are that you must be 60 years old or older, meet the income eligibility of 150 percent of poverty level for any age or have a disability (also any age). In order to be served, there must be no access to a vehicle in the family.

If you have questions or want to receive services, you can call the call center at 813-272-7272 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. It takes approximately one to two business days for eligibility to be verified and then you can start booking trips.

The Hillsborough County Sunshine Line is a shared-ride service. Trips must be prescheduled. Passengers are dropped of/ picked up based on the route the bus is taking. No trip is longer than 90 minutes.

Riders must reside more than three quarters of a mile from a bus route. HartPlus ofers a similar service for residents who live within three quarters of a mile of a bus stop.

Jerry Stickney, Sunshine Line opera-

By Kathy L. Collins

tions manager, said, “If you know of someone who would benefit from the service, have them contact us. Our focus is on finding transportation solutions for those in need. If we cannot help, we will help point you to someone who can.”

The Sunshine Line concept was started over 30 years ago. It was originally known as Share a Van, in which county staf used their own personal vehicles to drive clients to appointments. Now, more than 30 years later, the Sunshine Line is a robust and sophisticated agency with 69 vehicles and 65 drivers. The Sunshine Line covers all 1,050 square miles of Hillsborough County.

Stickney said, “Sunshine Line drivers often have the same route and forge a bond with their clients. For the clients, the Sunshine Line drivers are a friendly face that they look forward to seeing.”

To get started, call 813-272-7272.