'Ample evidence' of mismanagement: Emails reveal state's concerns about Bloomington market

The state ultimately discontinued its partnership with the PCM, a contract worth about $800,000. State officials have since declined to say whether any of that money is still making its way to local farmers, whose crops were to be delivered to local food banks to support people who are struggling to put food on their tables.

Naima Gardner, director of the Division of Nutrition & Physical Activity at the Indiana Department of Health, which oversees the distribution of the federal dollars, wrote PCM leaders in an email on Jan. 12, 2024, that the state had been contacted by Bloomington-area farmers who noted “discrepancies” between what PCM had reported and what farmers had received.

“Some of them have provided written accounts and documentation, but others are incredibly fearful of backlash/retribution if they put their experiences in writing,” Gardner wrote. “This is very concerning to me.”

The emails were shared with The Herald-Times by Bloomington residents who asked to remain anonymous for fear of backlash. The H-T filed a public records request with the state department of health in mid-December. Six weeks later, that request had not been fulfilled. A follow-up email requesting a time frame as to when the state would respond also went unanswered.