Officials blessed and dedicated Lubbock's first Safe Haven Baby Box Thursday at Lubbock Fire Rescue Station 9. The box is the first on the South Plains and just the second in Texas.
Under Texas' "Baby Moses" law , a parent may legally surrender a baby up to 60 days old to hospitals, fire stations and other designated places if the parent feels they cannot care for the child. The new box provides an anonymous, safe way for a parent to do so.
"The purpose of this endeavor is to provide a locations where parents in crisis have a safe method to anonymously surrender their newborn," interim Lubbock Fire Chief Rob Keinast said at Thursday's ceremony.
A baby box was installed at a Hobbs, New Mexico fire station in May last year after a teenage mother left her newborn baby in a dumpster in 2022. That box has saved two babies so far. The first box in Texas was installed in Abilene this April.
More: Safe surrender baby box in Hobbs, New Mexico used for 2nd time
"Although Abilene did beat us by a few months, I am so proud that Lubbock is the second city in the state of Texas to provide this much-needed service," Lubbock City Councilwoman Jennifer Wilson said Thursday. "I feel incredibly blessed to live in a community that strives to make sure all of our children and babies are cared for in a time of great need."
The Safe Haven Baby Box is built into the wall of Fire Station 9, located at 4814 50th St. A person can open the door, place the baby into the bassinet in the incubated box, and close the door. The door will lock and a silent alarm will alert firefighters and LFR dispatch that a baby was placed into the box.
The Lubbock City Council approved the installation of the box in February this year, with plans in the works to add at least three more across Lubbock and Wolfforth. Turning Point Community Church raised the funds for the four boxes.
"We raised enough money in our 2023 Christmas offering to be able to put four baby boxes here in the South Plains," Rusty Sieck, Turning Point's congregational care pastor, told the Avalanche-Journal. "We were overwhelmed that we raised that much funding, and we're just grateful for the partnerships with the Lubbock Fire Department, the city council and the mayor so we can actually get this done."
Sieck said the baby boxes will be an important resource for mothers in crisis, especially in a city like Lubbock which largely considers itself pro-life.
"Since Lubbock became a Sanctuary City (for the Unborn), we felt like one of the most important things to do is to provide opportunities to support life," Sieck said. "If we're going to say we're for life, we've got to do something tangibly."
Lubbock voters outlawed abortion in the city in 2021.
"It's a worthwhile project because it allows people in our community who are in distress, who feel like there is no other option but surrendering their child, a safe place to do it," Sieck said.
Monica Kelsey, founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, told the A-J each new box that is installed in the U.S. — more than 200 in 16 states — advances the organization's mission. Fifty babies have been placed in a box since the first was installed in 2016.
"The mission of Safe Haven Baby Boxes is to end infant abandonment. It's always been our mission, and we work hard every day to make sure that that happens," Kelsey said.
Resources are available for parents in crisis
Saturday morning, just two days after the baby box came online, Lubbock police said a newborn baby was found in a dumpster in east Lubbock.
More: Police looking for mother after newborn baby found in East Lubbock dumpster Saturday
Sieck, Kelsey and others want parents to know that help is available if they need it.
"Any parent that needs to know their resources can call us or text us 24 hours a day," Kelsey said. "That's for anywhere in the state. Even if you don't have a baby box, we can still give you options in your area so you can choose something safe."
The phone number for Safe Haven Baby Boxes' crisis hotline is 1-866-99-BABY-1.
Turning Point also offers help for folks in crisis.
"If they're in need, they can contact our church or stop by our church. We provide counseling assistance, can get them connected to a doctor, whatever it may be," Sieck said. "We just want to make sure that they know they're valued, regardless of the tough choice of having to surrender a child."
Turning Point is located at 11202 Quaker Ave., and the church office is at 4029 112th St. The church's phone number is 806-794-6987.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: 1st Safe Haven Baby Box on South Plains opens at central-Lubbock fire station
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