INDIANAPOLIS (April 24, 2024) – Indiana Grown held a member event Tuesday focused on encouraging schools, hospitals, restaurants and more to buy local. The event featured 57 Indiana Grown members who are ready and able to expand into larger markets.

Members who attended the showcase were highlighting their locally grown, raised, processed and crafted items, like wagyu beef, pork, Indiana wine, craft spirits, specialty produce, sauces, spices, coffee and more.

The event featured guests from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky shopping for their specialty store, distribution business, hospital or school cafeteria, restaurant or grocery store.

Isaac Hughes with Ideal Meat & Specialty Foods was looking for unique products from local producers to offer to their customers.

“I love events like this because it gives me an opportunity to see things I normally don’t see and that I would be interested in distributing,” said Hughes. “We also enjoyed visiting with our current business partners and welcomed their suggestions of who to see at the show. This event was a great opportunity for me to connect with Indiana Grown members I might not have known existed.”

Indiana Grown was excited to host this first-time event said Caroline Patrick, Indiana Grown director.

“This brand-new event for Indiana Grown was a huge success and we are so thankful to the many members who attended,” said Patrick. “When expanding your small business, it can be hard to be connected with the right audience and this was a great opportunity for our members and for our food buying attendees to feature locally grown, made and crafted products in their schools, hospitals, restaurants, catering services and more across the state.”

Tamika Catchings with Tea’s Me Café from Indianapolis stated she appreciated her fellow members and Indiana Grown teammates.

“Being an Indiana Grown member for only a year and a half, we were grateful to be invited to this first-ever event,” said Catchings. “Walking around and visiting with other Indiana Grown members has been a huge asset because we can seek other members who want to work with us and leverage both of our products for greater success.”

Jennifer Wiese of BeeFree, whose company was started by a mom looking for gluten free snacks for her son who was diagnosed with Autism, highlighted that this event was a great success.

“We loved the opportunity to introduce our products to new customers, and we love sharing our story that our snacks were created by a mom on a mission and our products are sweetened with honey, contain real ingredients that are the perfect on-the-go snack,” said Wiese.

Companies that attended the showcase are listed below:

• Daniel’s Vinyard – McCordsville
• Pig’s Tale Charcuterie – Indianapolis
• Sip & Share Wines – Indianapolis
• Marsha’s Specialty Desserts & Tierney’s Catering – Avon
• 550 Wagyu – Lafayette
• Owen Valley Winery – Spencer
• Uncle Al’s Breading & Auntie B’s Custom Blending – Converse
• Agua Blanca Shrimp – Indianapolis
• Voils Family Farm – Mitchell
• Abby’s Elderberry – Otisco
• Cindy’s Candy Corner – Hymera
• Bee Great – Churubusco
• Kim’s Key Lime Products – Indianapolis
• Little Family Foods – Terre Haute
• Your Grandpa’s Old Fashioned – Carmel
• Indiana Soap Company – Greenfield
• Cute as a Cupcake! Cupcakery & Bake Shop – Merrillville
• Three Flock Farm – Ellettsville
• Amish Country Dairy – Shipshewana
• PopKorn Kernels With A Twist – Bloomington
• Pa and Ma’s BBQ Sauce – Indianapolis
• Tulip Tree Creamery – Indianapolis
• West Fork Whiskey Co. – Indianapolis
• Spicekick Seasoning – Fishers
• Fungi Meadows – Logansport
• Miller’s Orchard – Nappanee
• Fish Lake Organic – Goshen
• Little Way Farm and Homestead – Vevay
• MKONO Farm – Bloomington
• Needmore Coffee Roasters – Bloomington
• Garcia’s Gardens – Indianapolis
• Metal Honey Foods – Indianapolis
• Pure Memory Water – Indianapolis
• Risin’ Creek Creamery – Martinsville
• Linneweber’s Sauce Company – Vincennes
• Hunt Family Farm – Amboy
• Brick House Vinaigrettes – Indianapolis
• Healthy Hoosier Oil – Converse
• Nature’s Tea Company – Indianapolis
• Aahaa Chai – Indianapolis
• Bloomington Farm Stop Collective – Bloomington
• Celtic Glen Heritage Livestock – Spencer
• Middle Davids Candles – Franklin
• Kei2Health – Indianapolis
• Eat Surreal – Indianapolis
• Wild Spirit Coffee Co- Bloomfield
• Slaughter Orchard & Cidery – Bloomington
• Beehive Body Co – Mount Summit
• Tea’s Me Cafe – Indianapolis
• Apricot Sun – Carmel
• Groomsville Popcorn – Tipton
• BeeFree – Noblesville
• Culver Duck – Middlebury
• Bread & Roses Gardens – Bloomington
• My Sugar Pie – Zionsville
• Newfangled Confections – Indianapolis
• 4 Birds Bakery – Indianapolis

Indiana Grown is excited to continue this showcase into 2025 and beyond.

Retail Food Establishment Inspection Report

media reports March 31- April 6, 2024

On Saturday, April 27, 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is sponsoring the 26^th nationwide “Prescription Drug Take Back” initiative.  The “Take Back” initiative seeks to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft through proper disposal of prescription drugs.

Collection sites will be set up nationwide for expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs which will be properly disposed of without threat to the environment.  This program is for liquid and pill medications.  Vaping pens without batteries and vaping cartridges will also be taken.  Needles, new or used, WILL NOT be accepted for disposal.  This service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—pose both potential safety and health hazards.

Once again, the Indiana State Police is pleased to partner with the DEA, and as in the past, unwanted medications may be dropped off at any Indiana State Police Post, except for the Toll Road Post.  The event will be on Saturday, April 27, 2024, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

The Indiana State Police Post in Putnamville will have their collection on Friday, April 26, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

To locate the State Police Post closest to your home or business, click this link for Indiana State Police on the Map. To find other locations in Indiana or across the U.S. that are participating in the Drug Take Back initiative, click this link to the DEA.

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.