An online fundraiser for a Maryland doughnut shop that was recently crashed into by a car surpassed its goal of $10,000 this week as the family that owns the small business works to reopen.
“It makes me personally feel grateful for the community especially during the holidays,” said Sean Kwon, whose parents own Laurel Tavern Donuts.
The business is a well-known spot for doughnuts, apple fritters and burgers in Laurel.
“I’m very humbled just by the outpouring of love and charity,” Kwon said. “The number of people was sort of an unexpected thing for us.”
About 200 people contributed to the fundraiser.
The business had to shut down two weeks ago after a car crashed into the building, causing significant damage.
“Thankfully, my father, who was in the store, was not hit in the accident,” Kwon said.
It is not clear how long it might take for everything to be back up and running.
According to Kwon, his father is still sorting through insurance and figuring out how much the repairs are going to cost. Kwon said the money that’s been flowing in from the community will help in the meantime.
“This will keep my parents afloat as they try to divert a lot of their finances toward fixing the shop,” Kwon said.
He said the donations were “very significant” for his family.
On the fundraiser website, Kwon said that his parents opened the shop about 18 years ago, and that, ever since, “they have been making fresh doughnuts from scratch every day at 3 a.m. and mini-burgers throughout the afternoon.”
