39733Bec 7E09 450B Ae6C 5Ecfdec46C03 — The new baby box in Foley (City of Foley)

Less than a year after the first baby box opened in Foley, the city has announced the location of a second Safe Haven Baby Box opening this week.

The city says the box will become available at Fire Station No. 1 after a blessing ceremony Friday, March 13.

““I would hope that this box will never be needed. 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.”
Joey Darby, Foley Fire Chief

The box was created to provide a safe, anonymous location where parents can surrender infants up to 45 days old with no questions asked. This will be the 19th Safe Haven Baby Box to open in Alabama.

Safe Haven Baby Box

The program originated as a way to safely offer an alternative for parents who feel they have no other option. They can leave infants in the climate-controlled and closely monitored box at the fire station with no legal repercussions.

When a baby is left in the box, an alarm rings inside the fire department. Officials will then take the infant to a local hospital for evaluation before the Alabama Department of Human Resources take over to put the child up for adoption.

“It’s something that we’re passionate about. We want to see this happen. It’s a very long, detailed process, but we finally got the project put together.”
Joey Darby, Foley Fire Chief

The city said much of the cost of the project was covered by local companies and churches who donated services + support.

Darby said this city has been working on the project for several years. The Alabama legislature first passed the bill to allow baby boxes across the state in 2023.