Amarillo has taken a significant step in expanding options for parents in crisis with the installation of its first Safe Haven Baby Box at Amarillo Fire Department Station 9, located at 2015 Paramount Boulevard. City officials, firefighters, and community members gathered to dedicate the box, which offers a secure, climate-controlled, and anonymous way for parents to safely surrender an infant.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are designed to prevent unsafe infant abandonment by providing a clearly marked, monitored location where a newborn can be left without fear of legal consequences, as permitted under Texas Safe Haven laws. Once an infant is placed inside the box, an alarm system immediately alerts firefighters at the station and the department’s call-taking center. Fire officials say responders can reach the infant in no longer than a minute and a half.
Mayor Cole Stanley voiced his support for the initiative during the dedication ceremony, acknowledging the difficult realities that sometimes lead families to consider surrender. “My personal support for this project is pretty easy to see. In the reality of the way life can go, this isn’t something that we necessarily want to focus on or accept but it is the reality that we have. It’s our job as citizens and neighbors living in Amarillo to provide every opportunity for life that we can,” Stanley said.
Amarillo Fire Department Chief Jason Mays emphasized that fire crews are trained to handle these situations with care and urgency. “Our fire crews understand how heavy it is anytime there’s an infant surrender. To have this available as an option for a mother who as it’s been said would be going through her worst day, it’s what we’re used to doing is solving problems and it allows us to earlier engage to be part of that solution,” Mays said. He also explained that the box functions whether or not crews are physically inside the station, ensuring continuous access and rapid response.
The installation of the baby box was spearheaded by community members, including McKay Moran, a single mother who led fundraising and outreach efforts over several years. Moran described the project as “four years in the making,” crediting women across the community for working with donors and city officials to make the box a reality. She also noted there are early discussions about placing another box in Canyon.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder and CEO Monica Kelsey attended the dedication and shared her personal connection to the mission. Inspired by her own experience of being abandoned as an infant, Kelsey launched the nonprofit in 2016 to provide safer alternatives for parents with nowhere else to turn. “My birth mom didn’t have anybody to walk alongside her all those years ago, but today I’m doing something that she didn’t have,” Kelsey said, noting that each box includes an orange bag containing information about free medical care and counseling resources.
Fire Station 9’s box is one of 413 Safe Haven Baby Boxes nationwide, including 17 in Texas. It is the second box in the Texas Panhandle. Supporters say the goal is not only to protect infants, but also to ensure parents know they are not alone and that safe, compassionate options are available during moments of crisis.
