Farmers market vendors respond to CAD statement and continued payment delays

DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - A collective group of vendors who had sold at the Lincoln Park and Central Hillside farmers markets this year say they are seeking answers after alleged delays in vendor reimbursements and the abrupt cancellation of winter markets by Community Action Duluth (CAD).

In response to a CAD statement from Thursday, vendors sent a press release Friday, saying members have repeatedly requested transparency and communication from CAD leadership and the board of directors but have received little formal response.

This coming just after CAD Union staff held a press conference Thursday evening to talk about alleged financial mismanagement and sexual harassment.

The vendors say they first reached out to CAD leadership beginning last year and escalated concerns during the 2025 market season.

On Sept. 24 they sent a letter to the CAD board asking for a group meeting to discuss the impacts on vendors, form a plan to catch up on outstanding payments, and receive assurance about the timeliness of future payments.

When that letter received no acknowledgement, the group sent a second letter on Oct. 23 repeating the same requests.

According to the vendors, the only response came on Oct. 24 when Board Chair Shawn Pearson wrote that “The Board has received the documents and will address them soon.”

As of Nov. 21, vendors say they have not received a formal follow-up.

The collective also says they learned the November markets were canceled via a Facebook post and that CAD’s recent press release confirmed the winter markets would not be held.

The statement released by CAD leadership said, “The Board made the fiscally responsible decision to cease hosting winter markets while addressing EBT reimbursements and reconciling accounts, and seasonally shifting operations to CAD’s Mobile Market.”

Vendors note that while CAD does typically reduce outdoor markets in winter, the organization has staged indoor winter markets the last two seasons — events that allow customers to redeem tokens such as Essentia Bucks or Produce Prescription Program credits before they expire. The vendors say the cancellation was made without consultation or explanation to the market community.

“The decision to cancel the winter markets and how it was communicated is beyond disappointing and has compromised our integrity and reliability in the Farmers Market community,” the collective wrote in its release.

The CAD statement also alleged that board members were unaware of the missing payments until October, saying “In early October 2025, CAD’s Board of Directors learned of outstanding payments due to the farmers.”

The group says it requested a group meeting that would include the executive director and board members for efficiency and transparency; CAD declined to offer a group meeting immediately, instead offering only individual meetings and an undated possibility of a group meeting in the future.

The vendors also criticized what they call an attempt by CAD to frame vendor accountability concerns as scrutiny focused on Executive Director Dudley’s race, age and gender.

“We are only focused on accountability and transparency, period,” the group wrote, adding that many vendors never met the executive director and that their complaints are about unpaid invoices and program management.

According to the collective, many vendors have not been paid for sales and reimbursements beyond Aug. 25, despite CAD’s assertion in a recent release that vendors had been paid up to that date.

A minority of vendors said they received checks this week bringing them current through Aug. 25, but many others remain unpaid for most of August and all of September and October; some vendors said they are still owed payments from before August.

In our previous reporting, documents show vendors are each owed thousands of dollars.

The vendors called for immediate transparency and offered a specific governance suggestion, to fill several CAD board vacancies with a farmers market vendor and a market participant to improve communication and oversight.

Despite the dispute, the group emphasized its commitment to CAD’s mission and to increasing healthy food access in underserved areas. “We are small businesses, family farms, and individuals who live in the community and are deeply committed to serving our community,” the release said.

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