My name is Joeffrey Balanay, and I am a farmer from the Waialua/Mokule’ia area of O’ahu. I am raising funds for immediate and urgent needs as my farm was disastrously hit by the recent March 2026 Kona Low storms.

I am a Filipino sugar cane farmer. As you may know, sugar cane has been a staple crop of Hawai’i for hundreds of years. About 4 years ago, I became a sugarcane farmer after finding out I was diabetic; before that, I harvested okra, papaya, banana, lemongrass, & bittermelon, to name a few. I often bring my sugarcane harvests to farmers markets where I can sell the juice to my community; I love seeing people walk away with big smiles on their faces after trying my natural sugarcane juice. It brings me joy and happiness to see both young and old customers enjoy my sugarcane. As much as I enjoy and love being a farmer, when I’m not working in the fields, I also enjoy spending time fixing up and working on vintage Volkswagen cars like bugs and dune buggys. It keeps my mind sharp and is a good break from being out in the fields all day.

However, all of that changed when the storms hit. The heavy rain washed away all the crops in my fields—all my sugarcane lost. The winds and intense flooding tore through the shack that I built to shelter my car projects; the cars are now severely damaged and unsalvageable. I could not save any of it and am left devastated. These were my passions, the loves of life; two things that brought me so much joy and meaning. Both of them gone away with the storms.

Because of this, I humbly turn to my community for support as I begin to recover all that I have lost. Thank you so much to those who have taken the time to read my story as well as those who decide to share it. Please know that any contribution, big or small, is deeply appreciated.

Thank you.

This GoFundMe was created by the volunteers from Help Maui Rise for the Storm Kōkua initiative and will directly benefit Joeffrey Balanay and his bank information was added for him to withdraw directly.