Sam and Roberta Birchler grow corn, beans, carrots, lettuce and more in their 40-by-70-foot garden in Beaver County’s Darlington Township — about 2 miles from the site of last month’s Norfolk Southern trail derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

They eat the food they grow there, as well as blueberries that grow in a patch with 24 plants. They also share the fruits and vegetables with immediate family.

Now, they want to know if that’s a good idea.

Norfolk Southern conducted a controlled burn of hazardous chemicals at the derailment site that sent a large plume of dark smoke into the air around East Palestine.

On Friday, the Birchlers trekked to the township’s municipal building looking for answers.

“We want to make sure the soil is safe,” said Sam Birchler, who has lived in Darlington Township near the Ohio border since 1978. “They told us where I could get soil tested; that’s all I wanted to know.”

The state Health Department earlier this week brought support services and an army of about 30 volunteers to Darlington Township for a pop-up Health Resource Center, where residents could speak their minds and ask questions related to the derailment. The center has served hundreds of people since opening Tuesday.

The clinic is open weekdays through Friday, March 10.

The Primary Health Network, which operates health clinics in 16 Pennsylvania counties, also had staffers at the municipal building to answer medical questions related to the derailment and chemical burn.

“The good news is we’re really not seeing any acute or severe manifestations following the train derailment here,” said Dr. George Garrow, who works for Primary Health Network. “Our main focus is to listen to their concerns and address them to the best of our ability. But most folks have just been so appreciative about the ability to tell their story.”

The clinic was not limited to people from Darlington Township, whose officials said they evacuated about 140 households before the controlled burn last month. Even a few Ohio residents crossed the border to get the chance to speak with volunteers from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Department of Agriculture and Department of Environmental Protection.

Officials said the most sought-after assistance included DEP consultation, medical evaluations, general public health information and help with Assessment of Chemical Exposure (ACE) surveys.

“Mostly, people want to talk to someone,” said Andy Pickett, director of emergency preparedness and response for the state Health Department. “They have questions … and this is our opportunity to talk with people face-to-face.”

Bill Borden, who lives 28 miles from Darlington Township near Aliquippa, stopped in while working nearby because he had questions about his well water.

“I don’t think it’s a problem. I’m not concerned. But I thought I’d check anyway,” Borden told the Tribune-Review.

Susan MacConnell gardens at her home in Big Beaver, which borders Darlington Township. She said soil contamination was her primary concern.

“Even though we’re about 7 or 8 miles away (from the derailment site), we could still see the cloud in our yard,” she said after meeting Friday morning with state DEP officials. “It seems we’re far enough that it’s not a problem.”

In addition to being able to see health care workers, visitors could pick information from neatly sorted stacks of literature at tables manned Friday by volunteers from throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. There even was a station for spiritual care, complete with small Bibles and a box of candy.

Jared and Erin Unen, who live farther away from the derailment site in Chippewa, said they also were concerned about the impact on soil and well water.

“We want to get any information we can get,” Erin Unen said. “We want a baseline because the water might be a problem down the line. Our water is very good, taste-wise. It doesn’t taste like city water. But (we’re concerned about) the soil, the well, like everyone else.”

Even though they live nearly 7 miles from East Palestine, the Unens left the Beaver Falls area during the controlled burn on Feb. 6. Their children were dismissed from school early that day, and Erin Unen admitted she was nervous.

“I said, ‘What if something goes wrong?’” she told the Tribune-Review. “For me, my fear was the unknown.”

The Health Resource Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays through next Friday. The Darlington Township municipal building is at 3590 Darlington Road.

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