MARION — When Derek Tiago started an online fundraiser for Cilantro Thai after it recently burned beyond repair, neither he, nor the restaurant’s owner Varut Philmolmas, expected the wave of support that followed.

The fundraiser, hosted by the site GoFundMe, was started with a goal of $5,000. But just a week after donations started rolling in, the Marion community more than doubled that goal, amassing over $13,000.

“We did not expect to have this level of support,” Philmolmas said, adding that the community’s generosity “gives energy to move on.”

He added that, following the outpouring of donations, he and his family feel they have truly become part of the Marion community.

After the fire on Oct. 16, Tiago and others expressed their empathy for the Philmolmas family through posts in Facebook community groups.

“Being a regular aside, I just felt for his family’s situation,” Tiago said. So, the Marion resident realized, someone had to step in to help.

Tiago knew that the community would be willing to come to the aid of the Philmolmas family. What he didn’t know was how quickly that support would take shape.

“I just felt like someone had to take the plunge and start something for them,” Tiago said.

In the days after starting the fundraiser, Tiago would watch the donations tick up and up from his couch as he worked from home, reinforcing his already-strong faith in the town he chose to make his home with his family.

“It’s just a testament to the community, really,” Tiago said. “Our community is like no other.”

But, Tiago said, he doesn’t take credit for raising the money. He said that credit belongs to Varut and the rest of the Philmolmas family.

“For this to just happen … it just shows people cared about him and he’s served the community well,” Tiago said. “The credit is to Varut for what he’s done over the years.”

Even though the community has rallied in support of Cilantro Thai, the Philmolmas family is still left with a tough situation. Between the time it takes for insurance money to pay out and the time it would take to reconstruct the restaurant, Philmolmas said Cilantro couldn’t reopen in its current location for around two years.

So he and his family have begun searching for a new place in Marion to do business. The fundraiser organized by Tiago is intended to help the Philmolmas family pay for that move, and secure a bank loan for a new building.

But, with Cilantro Thai as the family’s only income, there will be a difficult gap between the fire and the potential relocation of the business.

“Right now, we are in financial difficulty,” Philmolmas said.

For the family, Philmolmas said, the fundraiser offers “tangible” help, and shows them they are valued members of the Marion community.

“It’s not only a business — right now, it’s like a family,” Philmoslmas said. “Everyone is a member of the family and trying to help us.

To donate to Cilantro Thai and the Philmolmas family, go to gofundme.com/f/relocate-marions-cilantro-thai.