Foley to install first baby box in Baldwin County
Reading time: 2 minutes
There are currently 15 Safe Haven Baby Boxes throughout Alabama and the City of Foley is getting ready to add to that count.
The city council voted Tuesday night to approve an agreement with Safe Haven Baby Boxes to install the system at the city’s main fire station at 120 West Verbena Avenue.
While Mobile County has two boxes, Foley will have the first to open in Baldwin County.
Safe Haven Baby Box program
The Safe Haven Baby Box initiative offers an alternative for parents who may feel they have no other option, allowing them to leave their infant in a climate-controlled, monitored box with no legal repercussions.
“It would be my goal, my hope, that the box would never be needed. But the reality is that Madison installed one of the first ones in the state at the Madison Fire Department and they’ve already had three babies in theirs. They had one within 10 days of installation. So there’s a potential need out there, and if we can meet that need, and potentially save a baby’s life, a parent’s life, potentially keep someone out of jail, out of incarceration, then it’s a win all the way around. And so it’s something that we’re obviously passionate about. We want to see that happen.”
Joey Darby, Foley Fire Chief
State Rep. Donna Givens sponsored a bill in the Alabama Legislature in 2023 to allow baby boxes to be installed in fire stations. Darby said that since the bill passed, the Foley Fire Department has been working to get a box placed in the city.
There is still a lengthy process before the box will be installed and ready to use in Foley. The city said companies and churches have offered to donate services and support that should cover most or all of the cost of the project.
Want more like this in your inbox? Subscribe to our FREE newsletter.
