SANDPOINT — Women in the surrounding Sandpoint area now have the option of total anonymity to safely surrender their child.  

The Safe Haven Baby Box was blessed Monday, providing a secure and judgement-free alternative for mothers in crisis to surrender their babies safely.  

The Baby Box, located on 521 S. Division Ave. in Sandpoint, was surrounded by a community of supporters and donors as project coordinators shared their excitement about what the box would mean for the community.  

“Is one baby worth it for all the work? Absolutely. One baby saved would be an amazing thing,” said Janine Shepard, executive director of Life Choices Pregnancy Center and 7B Care Clinic, who helped facilitate the Baby Box project.  

Over a two-year span, local municipalities such as Bonner County EMS, 7B Care Clinic, Life Choices Pregnancy Center, Busch Legacy Builders, Top Notch Electrical and Tamarack Ridge Media Group have worked together with Safe Haven Baby Box, an Indiana non-profit dedicated to providing a discreet and secure option for parents to surrender their newborns, in establishing the state’s second baby box.  

Shepard further shared special gratitude to EMS Chief Jeff Lindsey for his God-like heart and dedication toward the project, and nodded value to county commissioners and staff and the Daily Bee.  

A variety of speakers shared during the Baby Box’s blessing, with special guests including Shepard, Safe Haven Baby Box founder Monica Kelsey and Idaho State Representative Cornel Rasor, with the Baby Box blessing by Pastor Chad Wilks of the Sandpoint Nazarene Church. 

“We need to keep in mind, as we hear if the box is being used, that these women are in desperate situations, and that we need to just really come alongside them in prayer,” said Shepard. “We need to come alongside without judgment, without shame. To know these women are making this choice, and it’s a loving option, that it’s not something that we need to condemn them for.” 

Kelsey added to the lively atmosphere, expressing her happiness for what the future of the community holds.  

“For 25 years, a woman could walk into a fire station or a hospital and surrender their infant, but they had to face someone. Today, in Sandpoint they can do it anonymously now, but still save the life of their child, which is ultimately what they want, and we're now offering that here at this facility,” said Kelsey. 

Kelsey also provided sentiments to the origin of the Safe Haven Baby Box, sharing a story of a woman in 1972 who was brutally attacked and raped at 17 years old, resulting in an unwanted pregnancy. That teenager left the baby abandoned two hours after it was born.  

That baby was Kelsey.  

Since learning the story of her own abandonment, Kelsey has been a voice for women faced with the harsh difficulties of surrendering their babies, in addition to being an advocate for providing a safe, secure place for infants.  

“Isn't it amazing that we're standing at this beautiful building today, blessing a box going in the side of this wall so that tomorrow we don't have to stand at a cemetery, blessing a box going in the ground, and that is truly what is it is all about,” said Kelsey.  

The box is currently in full operation, with climate control features to keep infants warm or cold, depending on outside temperatures. When the box is opened, a silent alarm is triggered to EMS officials inside the facility. A second alarm is triggered when a baby is placed in the box. The box will also then lock from the outside.  

EMS officials will continue to test the mechanisms regularly and noted a roughly two-minute response time.  

If an infant is surrendered to the box, responders will be able to obtain the baby and take it to the hospital. Parents of the baby will have 30 days to reunite with the infant, after that it will be available for adoption. Kelsey shared hopes of a future partnership with local nonprofit IdaHope Families, where babies will be cared for by families within the church community.  

“If each of us told five people about the box that would be super helpful,” said Kelsey. “Tell people about this project and about what it is that we're doing here.” 

Safe Haven Baby Box also has a 24/7 crisis hotline that can be reached via call or text at 1-866-99BABY1 for women before, during and after a pregnancy crisis.

    Local Safe Haven Baby Box at 521 S. Division Ave. in Sandpoint
  

    Safe Haven Baby Box founder Monica Kelsey
  

    Safe Haven Baby Box crisis hotline at 521 S. Division Ave. in Sandpoint.
  

    Pastor Chad Wilks of the Sandpoint Nazarene Church