A Foley project to provide a safe anonymous location where parents can surrender infants will begin this week.
The Safe Haven Baby Box will be placed into service with a blessing Friday, March 13. The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. at Fire Station No. 1 where the box will be located.
Fire Chief Joey Darby said the program can save the lives of children and parents.
“I would hope that this box will never be needed,” Darby said. “Other boxes, however, have been used almost as soon as they opened. There is a need out there and this box could meet that need. This could save a baby’s life. It could also save the life of a parent faced with a seemingly impossible situation.”
The program offers an alternative for parents who feel they have no other option. Infants can be left in a climate-controlled, monitored box with no legal repercussions.
Mothers can surrender babies that are up to 45 days old with no questions asked. The infants are taken to a local hospital for evaluation. The Alabama Department of Human Resources will put the children up for adoption.
Darby said the Foley Fire Department and city officials have been working for several years to complete the project.
“It’s something that we’re passionate about,” Darby said. “We want to see this happen. It’s a very long, detailed process, but we finally got the project put together.”
The Foley City Council approved a lease agreement with Safe Haven Baby Boxes in April.
State Rep. Donna Givens, R-Loxley, sponsored a bill in the Alabama Legislature in 2023 to allow baby boxes to be installed in fire stations..
Companies and churches have also donated services and support to cover much of the cost of the project.
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