Dec. 21 update: Central Bank has donated $20,000 toward installing a Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station 1 of the Winchester Fire Department on Maple Street.
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“Saving babies one box at a time.” This is the mission of Safe Haven Baby Boxes. These boxes offer the only way to surrender a newborn baby, completely anonymously.
Over 35 young lives have already been saved from these boxes since 2017. The goal is to offer a way for mothers to safely surrender their babies to a fire station for them to get care and a placement in a home.
The nearest Safe Haven Baby Box is in Louisville. For a mother and baby in need, the long drive there is simply not ideal. GRC junior Makayla Lopez recognized this problem and took it upon herself to ask for funding for a Safe Haven Baby Box here in Winchester.
The subject came up in Ms. Moon’s Early Lifespan class last year and Makayla acted on it.
“I was just sitting in my room over the summer and I had the idea to email the mayor about trying to get a Safe Haven Baby Box here,” she says.
The topic was brought up at a recent City Commission meeting, and went over well with the attendees. Local government officials are moving forward with the process of installing a Safe Haven Baby Box.
Surrendering a baby to a box is completely legal and allows the mother to remain unknown throughout the process.
The decision to surrender a baby is not an easy one. However, the simplicity of the actual process can relieve stress. Boxes are located in fire stations or hospitals. A mother will open the box, place the baby in the basket inside, and close the door back.
Once shut, “the door automatically locks… and within seconds, an alarm sounds to let the professionals know a baby has been surrendered,” says Makayla. This immediate reaction allows the baby to get the care and attention it needs. The mother’s identity is completely concealed the entire time.
Having a Baby Box in your community provides a focal point to support the Safe Haven Law and allow our first responders and community to have a proactive method to eliminate illegal abandonment.
Women in crisis can call the national 24-hour hotline and can receive counseling and assistance completely free. This hotline has gotten over 9,000 calls from every state in the United States.
But it doesn’t stop there. They have referred over 500 women to crisis pregnancy centers, assisted in 9 adoptions, and had over 140 legal Safe Haven surrenders.
A box will be a helpful asset here in Winchester, and this GRC student is on a mission to save young lives.
