CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Athens City Fire Department is celebrating a new addition—not to their team, but to their mission: a Safe Haven Baby Box, now officially installed and blessed.
The department hosted a special blessing ceremony to unveil the box, which offers a life-saving option for parents in crisis.
This device allows individuals to safely and anonymously surrender a newborn, giving the child a chance at life and the parent a path free of judgment.
“It’s a blessing that we are standing at a firehouse today, blessing a box going in the wall,” said Monica Kelsey, the founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, “so we don’t have to stand at a cemetery tomorrow and bless a box going into the ground.”
Kelsey’s passion for this cause is personal—deeply so.
“In April of 1973, my birth mother gave birth and abandoned me just two hours later,” she shared during the ceremony. “I stand on the front lines of this ministry as one of these kids—one who wasn’t lovingly, safely, legally, or anonymously placed in a safe haven baby box by a parent who wanted me. But this is my legacy. I am now their voice.”
She added, “I will forever walk with these moms as they choose something safe for their child. And I’ll forever walk with these kids and show them their worth.”
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are built directly into fire stations and hospitals, providing 24/7 access and triggering silent alarms to notify staff once a baby is placed inside.
The system ensures babies are quickly retrieved and given immediate care.
“When a parent walks up to one of our Safe Haven Baby Boxes,” Kelsey explained, “all they have to do is open the door, place their newborn inside, take the orange bag with resources for the parent, shut the door, and walk away. This box offers no shame, no blame, and no names.”
The blessing ceremony brought together first responders, community members, and families whose lives have been directly impacted by Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
Verenna Harvey, a mother who adopted a baby surrendered through the program, also spoke emotionally at the event.
“I was so excited,” she said. “I’d always wanted kids. When I started fostering and they called me with her, I couldn’t wait to get a hold of her.”
Fighting back tears, she encouraged others not to fear doing what’s best:
“If you can’t take care of them financially, or for whatever reason, don’t be afraid to surrender and let somebody else do it. They deserve that chance.”
The Athens box joins a growing network of Safe Haven Baby Boxes across the country—including one already in place at Fire Station 6 on Bonny Oaks Drive in Chattanooga.
These boxes don’t just change lives—they save them.
To learn more about Safe Haven Baby Boxes, click here.
