Secure device aimed at preventing unsafe abandonment of infants
BY ANITA STIEFEL
EDITOR@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA — Safe Haven Baby Boxes held a blessing ceremony on Sept. 23 for the placement of a Baby Box at Fire Station No. 1, located at 604 Ave. B in Opelika.
A Baby Box is a designated location where parents can anonymously and safely leave a baby they are unable or unwilling to care for, according to the company’s founder, Monica Kelsey, who was herself abandoned two days after being born to a 17-year-old rape victim in 1972.
Kelsey is on a mission to prevent unsafe abandonment and ensure that infants are placed in proper care, following legal protocols. Baby Boxes are located at fire stations throughout the country to “offer a secure and compassionate option for parents in crisis and help ensure every infant has a chance for a safe and loving future,” she said.
“Does this come without pain? No, there’s pain involved,” she said. “When a mother basically says, ‘I want what’s best for my child, and that’s not me,’ there is pain involved there. But at the end of the day, everyone is safe. The baby is safe. The mom is safe. And adoptive parents are getting the call that they’ve probably been waiting for for a very long time.”
She said the average time a baby stays inside is less than two minutes, because help is already on the scene.
“In Opelika, Alabama, if you decide you’re not able to raise your baby, you can bring it here, put it in the box, and once the door is closed the alarms go off and the fire department is here… to get the baby to safety and hopefully lead to an adoption opportunity,” said Opelika City Council President Eddie Smith. “We hope we don’t ever have to use the box, but we’ve got it, and we’re one of the few that do.”
David Floyd, pastor of Marvin Parkway Baptist Church, led a prayer of blessing for Opelika’s Baby Box, and Kelsey explained its significance.
“We are blessing today the ninth box in Alabama and the 267th Baby Box in the United States,” said Kelsey. “It never gets old getting a call from a fire chief saying, ‘Hey, Monica, we just got a baby in our box,’ and that just happened two weeks ago yesterday in the state of Indiana. It’s happening more and more and more — women are trusting us, bringing their children to us for safety.”
Since starting the ministry in 2017, Kelsey said 52 infants have been safely and legally surrendered in a Baby Box. Surrendered infants are adopted by families who have registered as foster to adopt. The Local Department of family services coordinates the adoption process.
“We have seen time and time again that preparation can save and change lives,” she said. “We never know when or where we will be needed, so it is crucial to have options for mothers in crisis. I am grateful for local advocates who take our mission to their community.”
Alabama’s first Baby Box was placed in January of this year in Madison.
“Nine days after we launched the box in Madison, it had its first baby. A couple of weeks later, it got its second baby. A couple of weeks later it got a third baby,” she said. “There is no mistake that Alabama needs baby boxes in this state.”
“Isn’t it a good thing that we’re standing here today in a fire station blessing a box in the wall so we do not have to stand in a cemetery and bless a box being put in the ground,” she said. “This box is now available to women in this community and beyond. This box offers no shame, no blame and no names.”
In addition to baby boxes, Safe Haven provides a confidential national hotline, 1-866-99BABY1, which has assisted with more 150 handoff surrenders.
For more information, email monicakelsey@safehavenbabyboxes.com.
