Amarillo officials on Wednesday, Feb. 4 dedicated the city’s first Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station No. 9, establishing a secure, anonymous option for parents in crisis to safely surrender newborns while ensuring immediate medical care.
The temperature-controlled, alarm-equipped box is the 413th installed nationwide and the 17th in Texas, according to Safe Haven Baby Boxes, the nonprofit that provides the devices. The box was officially opened during a dedication ceremony at the station, 2015 Paramount Blvd., attended by city leaders, firefighters, community organizers, clergy and nonprofit representatives.
Mayor Cole Stanley said the installation reflects a community decision to confront a difficult reality with preparation and compassion rather than judgment.
“This box is a promise,” Stanley said. “A promise that in a moment of fear or uncertainty, there is a safe and anonymous option. It affirms that every newborn deserves protection, dignity and a chance at life, and that our community will respond with compassion rather than condemnation.”
Under Texas’ Safe Haven law, a parent may legally and anonymously surrender an unharmed infant 60 days old or younger at designated locations such as hospitals and fire stations. The Safe Haven Baby Box expands that option by allowing the surrender to occur without direct contact. Once the exterior door is closed, sensors activate alarms inside the fire station and notify the city’s emergency communications center, triggering an immediate response.
Amarillo Fire Department Community Educator Jason Love said the baby box provides a safe and compassionate option for parents in crisis while ensuring a rapid response from first responders.
“This is about compassion and safety,” Love said. “The baby box gives someone who is overwhelmed a safe, legal option and ensures that a child is immediately cared for. It’s there for people on what may be the worst day of their lives.”
Amarillo Fire Chief Jason Mays said firefighters tested the system earlier in the day, retrieving a simulated infant in just over 90 seconds.
“That means a baby would only be inside the box briefly before trained medical professionals have them in their hands,” Mays said. “From there, the infant is assessed, provided care and transported to a hospital for observation.”
Mays said Fire Station No. 9 was selected because of its central location within the city, ensuring accessibility while maintaining consistent staffing and rapid response capability.
“Our firefighters are problem solvers,” Mays said. “This wasn’t a hard sell. It was about ensuring the training was right and the technology guaranteed that no baby would ever be left unattended.”
Firefighters assigned to the station completed specialized training provided by Safe Haven Baby Boxes, including scenario-based instruction covering alarm notifications, infant assessment, coordination with law enforcement and hospital transport procedures. When a surrender occurs, the responding crew is placed out of service to focus entirely on the infant’s care.
Organizers said the effort to bring a baby box to Amarillo began several years ago and required both policy approval and sustained grassroots fundraising.
McKay Moran, a local resident who first contacted Safe Haven Baby Boxes about installing a box in Amarillo after learning about the program as a single mother, said early momentum depended on support from city leadership.
At the time, Ginger Nelson, who served as mayor during the early stages of the effort, supported the concept during her tenure and worked with city staff to navigate ordinance requirements and approval processes needed to allow a Safe Haven Baby Box at a city fire station.
That early backing, Moran said, helped move the idea from concept to feasibility, though fundraising and coordination continued long after Nelson left office.
“It was a long, uphill process,” Moran said. “There were moments where it felt like it might stall out, but having city leadership willing to listen early on made a difference.”
The bulk of the funding and logistical work was later driven by community members, many of them women, who organized donations, outreach and coordination with the fire department and nonprofit partners. Roughly $30,000 was raised to cover the cost of the box, installation, technology integration, training, public awareness efforts and ongoing inspection fees required to keep the system operational.
Molly Nelson, one of the local organizers, said the effort relied heavily on small, individual donations.
“There were women donating $10 or $20 at a time,” she said. “This happened because people believed it mattered.”
Nelson said organizers hope to raise enough additional funding to install a second Safe Haven Baby Box in the area, potentially in Canyon, to expand access beyond Amarillo.
Monica Kelsey, founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, said the organization also provides counseling referrals, medical resources and follow-up support to parents who use the boxes. Kelsey, a retired firefighter and adoptee, founded the nonprofit in 2015 after working cases involving unsafe infant abandonment and seeking a preventative solution.
“We’re not here to tell anyone what to do,” Kelsey said. “We’re here to explain what options exist and to walk alongside people after they make that choice.”
The dedication ceremony included remarks from city and fire department leadership, recognition of project partners and a blessing over the box led by local clergy.
Organizers said those interested in supporting the Safe Haven Baby Box program or helping fund a potential second box in the area can donate through Safe Haven Baby Boxes of Texas. Contributions are accepted online at secure.qgiv.com/for/safehavenbabyboxesoftexas, where donors can designate funds for local projects.
The box at Fire Station No. 9 is now active and will be listed on the Safe Haven Baby Boxes website, which allows parents to locate surrender sites by ZIP code.
City and fire officials said they hope the box is never needed, but emphasized that it exists to ensure no parent has to choose between secrecy and safety.
“This is about being prepared for the moments we don’t want to think about,” Stanley said. “And making sure that, if they happen, there’s a safe path forward.”
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo opens first Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station No. 9
Reporting by Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
