Tupelo Installs First Safe Haven Baby Box in North Mississippi
TUPELO, Miss. — Tupelo city leaders have unveiled the city’s first Safe Haven Baby Box, offering a secure and anonymous way for individuals to surrender newborns.
The box, installed on the side of Fire Station No. 3 on North Veterans Memorial Boulevard next to Veterans Park, operates much like a bank dropbox. An individual opens the compartment, places the baby inside, and closes it, locking the door from the outside. Firefighters are immediately alerted inside the station, allowing them to safely retrieve the child and notify the proper authorities.
Currently, it’s the only Safe Haven Baby Box located north of Jackson.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder and CEO Monica Kelsey attended the grand opening. Kelsey, who was abandoned as an infant, said the concept was inspired by a trip to South Africa, where she saw a church using a similar system.
“It’s better to have this type of resource and not need it than to need it and not have it available,” Kelsey said.
There are now more than 300 Safe Haven Baby Boxes across the United States. The organization also operates a confidential 24-hour crisis hotline at 1-866-99BABY1.
