MADISON — The Kids to Love Foundation, which offers assistance to children in foster care, opened Alabama’s first Safe Haven Baby Box in two locations last week.
The first was placed at Madison Fire Station No. 1 at 101 Mill Road in Madison. The second was in Prattville.
Kids to Love began working to expand the state’s Safe Haven law last spring, when it recognized that changing abortion laws would lead to more children in need of a loving home in Alabama.
The Legislature later passed House Bill 473, expanding the law to allow a mother to surrender a child less than 45 days old to fire stations that are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week year-round, provided they have at least one emergency medical services personnel.
“The Safe Haven Baby Box provides a vital resource to our community, especially for the most fragile of our members,” Madison Mayor Paul Finley said. “We hope if ever the situation calls for use of the Safe Haven location at Fire Station 1, any mother in crisis can be assured their little one will be cared for by the trained and compassionate hands of Madison Fire and Rescue.
“We extend sincere gratitude to the Kids to Love Foundation for leading fundraising efforts for this cause and thank everyone involved in establishing this Safe Haven location in the City of Madison.”
The box is mounted outside a building and locks once a baby has been placed inside and the door is closed. An alarm alerts medical staff on site, and they are able to secure the newborn from inside the building.
“Our team at Madison Fire and Rescue is dedicated to providing lifesaving services across our community,” Madison Fire & Rescue Chief David Bailey said. “Partnering with the Safe Haven team, Kids to Love, and Madison Hospital helps us serve the City of Madison in an incredibly impactful way. We are thrilled to join the ranks of Safe Haven Baby Box locations throughout the nation. Our First Responders are trained in providing infant critical care and on the Safe Haven Law to provide support for anonymous mothers-in-crisis.”
Kids to Love has secured from an anonymous donor to place 10 baby boxes in cities across Alabama. Other sites targeted for boxes include Gadsden, Tuscaloosa, and Opelika.
“We knew there would be a need for these baby boxes in Alabama,” Kids to Love Founder and CEO Lee Marshall said. “We worked quickly on a plan to get these boxes made and distributed in places across the state where they are needed most. We are thankful that the city of Madison saw the need as well.
“We also are grateful that our donor saw the need and made a generous donation that will ensure mothers have a safe and anonymous way to turn their children over to agencies that will work together in the children’s best interests.”
Safe Haven Baby Boxes was founded by Monica Kelsey and has built boxes that are available to parents in 15 states, including Alabama. Safe Haven also operates a 24-hour hotline for mothers in crisis and has a goal of protecting newborns and letting birth parents know they are not alone.
For more information, visit www.kidstolove.org.
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