The details
The baby box was dedicated Sept. 2 in partnership with Tomball Fire Rescue, Harris County Emergency Services District No. 15, the city of Tomball and community leaders, including St. Anne Catholic Church and the Cotton Foundation, which funded the installation.
Under Texas’ Safe Haven law, parents may legally surrender infants up to 60 days old at designated facilities. The new baby box—installed in an exterior wall of the fire station—locks automatically once a newborn is placed inside and alerts staff through interior sensors, ensuring immediate care, according to the Safe Haven Baby Box website.
“In the last three decades, we've had over 230 infants in Texas abandoned by parents in crisis. ... More than 80 of those babies have died simply because there was no safe, legal, anonymous option ... A lot of these parents are so ashamed they don't want to make that face-to-face contact ... So this box is not just a piece of equipment. It is a lifeline,” Lieutenant John Kelley of Tomball Fire Rescue said.
Why it matters
The baby box is the 374th Safe Haven Baby Box in the U.S. and the 12th in Texas, Kelsey, who was herself abandoned at birth and has since championed the program nationwide, said.
Officials said they hope its presence raises awareness of safe surrender options and prevents tragedies of illegal abandonment.
“This is more than just a piece of equipment installed in the firehouse. It is a symbol of hope, compassion, and of deep commitment to protecting those most vulnerable to us,” Tomball Fire Department Chief Joe Sykora said.
What they’re saying
- “This box offers no shame, no blame and no names,” Kelsey said. “And isn't it a blessing that we are standing at a fire station today, blessing a box going in the wall, so that tomorrow we don't have to stand at a cemetery and bless a box going in the ground?”
- “I just want to thank you so much for what y'all are doing and putting this in here, way to lead the charge, somebody's got to be the razor's edge on the spear,” Congressman Morgan Luttrell, who represents U.S. House District 8, said. “It always starts with one, then goes to two, and then we'll spin it from there.”
