The newest Safe Haven Baby Box within the Mehlville Fire Protection District was unveiled on Nov. 24 with a blessing ceremony. This box is located at Mehlville Fire House 5, 11020 Mueller Road, and its aim is to give local mothers a safe, anonymous way to surrender their newborn child.
“Our place is to serve the community and help them in many different ways, and the box is just another example of that,” MFPD Fire Chief Brian Hendricks said. “As I’m sure you’re aware, we’ve been blessed with two healthy babies that have been surrendered. We’re hoping that if there’s a woman in crisis or a child in need, our citizens will have a fabulous option that we know is proven.”
The MFPD was the first fire district in the state to introduce a Safe Haven Baby Box into one of its firehouses — Mehlville Fire House 2, 5434 Telegraph Road. Since Mehlville introduced the baby box in August 2023, two babies have been safely surrendered into the box. The first was in February 2024, and the second was this past August. To read more, check out previous reporting by The Call.
The ceremony involved short speeches by Hendricks, Rep. Jim Murphy, MFPD Treasurer Bonnie Stegman and Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder and CEO Monica Kelsey. Kelsey founded the company, inspired by her own personal history. In 1972, a teenage girl was attacked and raped; after pressing charges, she discovered that she was pregnant. She abandoned her child, Kelsey, at a small hospital in Ohio just two hours after giving birth.
“This is my legacy,” Kelsey said. “I’ll forever walk with these moms who want to choose something safe for their child, and I’ll forever walk with these kids to share with them their worth.”
Deacon Dave Camden of St. Simon the Apostle Catholic Church blessed the baby box with holy water outside, saying a short prayer and benediction for the mothers and children who will use the box. Camden’s church is also on Mueller Road, located directly across the street from the firehouse.
Currently, 23 states have baby boxes. According to a news release, there have been 70 infants who have been safely and legally surrendered using baby boxes since 2017.
The Safe Haven Baby Box is temperature-controlled, with a bassinet inside where the baby can be placed, built into the exterior wall of the firehouse. When the outer door of the baby box is opened, the first alarm is activated. Once the door is shut, another alarm is activated to tell emergency responders that the baby is in the box. There is a 30-second delay to allow the parent, or person acting on the parent’s behalf, to leave and maintain anonymity.
“Frankly, I hope we put in a thousand boxes and they’re never used again, but I think we know better,” Murphy said.
