Community Support
Norfolk Southern is committed to helping the community of East Palestine recover and thrive. In addition to the financial support provided by our Family Assistance Center, the following commitments are some of the ways NS is further investing in the citizens, businesses, and life of this community.
NS donates historic train depot to East Palestine community
NS unveiled plans to donate the company’s historic East Palestine Train Depot to the village. NS will restore and upgrade the exterior of the building and will provide a $100,000 grant to support the village’s continued development of the space.

CEO Alan Shaw presents first Bulldog Legacy scholarships to students
Over the weekend, NS CEO Alan Shaw named four East Palestine high schoolers as the first recipients of the Bulldog Legacy Scholarship. They were selected for this scholarship for distinguishing themselves through their academic achievements and commitment to making a positive impact on their community.

Held an appreciation “Wing Bash” for EP first responders. Utilized local restaurants and vendors to support their revenue.
Completed the mulching of the elementary school playground.
Provided 50 haircut vouchers to a local church to support a local hair salon that lost revenue.
Paid the annual dues for an app used by the Order of the Eagles, an organization that sits 3,000 ft from the derailment site. Funds for the app are normally donated by local businesses.
Held an appreciation dinner for PA first responders and provided a thank you gift. Over 80 first responders attended.
Completed agreement with Insight Counseling Services. They will provide services free of charge to those with mental health concerns because of the derailment.
Norfolk Southern supported the East Palestine Community Foundation with a $300,000 donation. The Community Foundation coordinates support for a wide range of nonprofit organizations, including churches, schools, and the East Palestine Firefighters Association. The foundation also supports community-wide projects such as the children’s splash pad at the community pool, the disc golf course at the East Palestine City Park and the annual Fourth of July fireworks display presented by firefighters.
To help support East Palestine for the long-term, Norfolk Southern donated $250,000 to The Way Station, an Ohio-based nonprofit delivering aid to the East Palestine community. This donation will help The Way Station establish a larger, permanent location in the area and hire additional staff, including a social worker.
NS committed $7.5MM to Pennsylvania community support to cover costs incurred by state agencies and local fire departments that responded to the derailment. Included in that total is a $1 million community relief fund established for businesses and residents in Pennsylvania communities near East Palestine who lost revenue as a result of the incident.
To better support first responders, Norfolk Southern will create a new regional training center in Ohio for first responders. Additionally, we will expand our Operation Awareness & Response (OAR) program, which travels our 22-state network and trains first responders on how to respond safely to rail incidents.
CEO Alan Shaw created a scholarship endowment fund for East Palestine High School seniors. Established with his $445,000 donation, it will award scholarships annually toward four-year universities or two-year vocational school for ongoing education.
Reimbursed and committed to the East Palestine Fire Department over $3MM for fire equipment used in the derailment response.
Donated $300K to support the district’s academics, athletics, extra-curricular activities, and its long-term contingency planning regarding the impacts of the derailment for the East Palestine school district
Funded administrative support services for the East Palestine Fire Department
Purchased 100 floral arrangements from a local florist to replace lost business; arrangements to be distributed to residents of local nursing home and assisted living facility
Contracted local landscaper to replace the mulch at the East Palestine Elementary school playground; project expected to be complete by March 13
Provided coach buses to transport the East Palestine High School basketball team to their playoff game in Perry; used a local vendor to create signs and coordinated with the East Palestine fire and police departments to see the team out of town
Delivered an additional 21 pallets of water to the community
Created a Community Liaison position and hired a local NS employee and East Palestine resident to gather community input from residents and local businesses and oversee distribution of $1M
Established $1M Community Fund to support immediate community needs in East Palestine
Coordinated and funded cleaning and air monitoring services for the East Palestine Elementary and High Schools
Provided more than 100 air purifiers for residents to use in their homes
Provided $220,000 to the East Palestine fire department to replace self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) air packs, which allow firefighters to breathe compressed air when responding to fires
Purchased cases of water from a local vendor for community distribution
Donated $25K to American Red Cross disaster relief fund to provide immediate support for day-one shelters



