SANDPOINT — Approximately nine months after its grand opening, officials overseeing Sandpoint's Safe Haven Baby Box say the program has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, even though it has not yet been used.  

Blessed on Aug. 4, 2025, the Baby Box has yet to be used, said Janine Sheppard, executive director of Life Choices Pregnancy Center and 7B Care Clinic, who helped facilitate the Baby Box project. It’s not a bad thing that the box hasn’t been utilized; Sheppard said that she’s confident the word will spread when it is.  

“Is one baby worth it for all the work? Absolutely. One baby saved would be an amazing thing,” Shepard said during the Baby Box’s blessing.  

The Baby Box project, located at 521 S. Division Ave. in Sandpoint, is only the second in Idaho and provides an option for parents to discreetly surrender their newborns in a safe and secure way. Although the box remains unused, EMS Chief Jeff Lindsey said he has received only positive feedback for the resource.  

“I have had numerous people approach me after seeing the commercial play before movies in the theaters to say how incredibly awesome this is to have in our community. I have heard nothing but positive support for the program,” Lindsey said.  

The box is still in full operation, with climate control features to keep infants warm or cool, depending on outside temperatures. If the box is opened, a silent alarm will be relayed to EMS officials inside the building, with a second alarm going off when the baby is placed inside the box, which will then lock from the outside.   

If an infant is surrendered to the box, responders will be able to gather 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.   

“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,” Shepard said at the blessing. “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.” 

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