Luke Grimes with residents of East Palestine, Ohio, on March 31. (@1820house via Twitter)
Entertainment

'Yellowstone' Star Luke Grimes Heads to Native Ohio to Help Residents Impacted by Toxic Train Derailment

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Ohio native Luke Grimes, best known for his role as Kayce Dutton on Yellowstone, is rolling up his sleeves for a visit to his home state on March 31. Grimes has visited the town of East Palestine, Ohio, which is still suffering the effects of a Feb. 3 toxic train derailment, to aid in relief efforts. "I knew I had to do something to help the residents get back on their feet," the actor said in a statement.

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Grimes has partnered with the Jeff Ruby Family foundation, who operate steakhouses across Ohio, to bring aid to the residents of East Palestine, according to a press release. The actor and country singer reportedly appeared at The Original Roadhouse on West Main Street in East Palestine the morning of March 31 to distribute 250 water filtration systems to locals, as well as present Mayor Trent R. Conaway with more than $100,000 worth of aid, including proceeds from Grimes' newly released single "Oh Ohio."

"Once I saw the news of the train derailment in East Palestine, I knew I had to do something to help the residents get back on their feet," said Grimes, who grew up in Dayton, Ohio. "With this visit and the dedicated fundraising, we hope we are able to continue to shine a light on this devastating incident and inspire others to step up and help too."

Mayor Conaway expressed his thanks for the donations, saying in a statement:

"We are extremely grateful for this generous donation from Luke Grimes and the Jeff Ruby family. Their support will help us move forward toward our vision of a thriving and resilient community."

According to a statement made on behalf of the Jeff Ruby family, the relief partnership was Grimes' idea.

"Luke Grimes and his team reached out to discuss how we could jointly assist the people of East Palestine in providing resources," said Britney Ruby Miller, CEO of Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment. "Our foundation core values are helping people during disasters with immediate relief so we knew we had to help those in East Palestine. Luke, an Ohio native was eager to partner for immediate impact. We are honored he chose us for the mission."

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