By STAN MADDUX

Indiana Correspondent

FISHERS, Ind. — Two brothers from Puerto Rico are using their farming skills to help fight hunger in Indiana.

Juan Ramone, 40, and Rafael Ramone, 45, fled their family’s destroyed coffee farm earlier this year. They landed at Brandywine Creek Farms working for Jonathan Lawler. Lawler said he is so impressed by their abilities he’s going through the proper channels to try and have the wives and children of both men relocated here. Lawler said he also plans to turn over some of his urban farm ground for the men to operate themselves.

“After hearing their stories I just decided to go ahead and give them a shot,” Lawler said.

The brothers are presently helping raise tomatoes and cucumbers on 32-acres in Fishers, The city owns the land but allows Lawler to farm it as long as he donates a percentage of his produce and runs food and nutrition related programs that include school field trips for children.

Lawler has 60 more acres at urban farms and community gardens in the Indianapolis area where he is growing a wide variety of other produce like kale, bell peppers, zucchini, watermelons and pumpkins. He also operates his family’s 77- acre farm in the Greenfield area.

One-third of all of his crop goes to the Good Samaritan Network for distribution to 46 food pantries in Hamilton County and mobile food sites. Approximately 560,000 pounds of produce was given away last year. By adding the Fishers grow site, the goal this year is to donate anywhere from 700,000 to one million pounds.

Lawler said the rest of his produce is sold on the retail and wholesale markets.

He emphasized the charitable giving would not be possible without support from the community of the for-profit side of his operation.

“In order for us to be able to give that away, we have to sell a certain amount of produce as well,” he said.

Lawler also raises some cattle, which the Ramone brothers also have experience with.

The Ramone family’s five-acre coffee bean farm was destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Wanting a better life for their children, the brothers left Puerto Rico before another hurricane could bring more destruction to their still recovering country.

Aside from a language barrier that is slowly being overcome Lawler said the men are fitting in nicely with his operation. They helped him May 5 with sprucing up at his 1.2 acre urban farm at Flanner House, a community center for youth and families in Indianapolis.

Lawler started donating produce in 2015 after his son told him about families of classmates relying on food pantries. He found it shocking because of the amount of farmland surrounding rural communities in the area.

Nancy Chance, executive director of the Good Samaritan Network, said hunger peaked in 2010 and hasn’t gotten any better. “A lot of people need two jobs just to get enough to eat for their families,” she said.