Ocala Fire Rescue hosted an unveiling ceremony Tuesday for Florida’s first Safe Haven Baby Box.
The box is located at the MLK First Responder Campus at 505 N.W. MLK Jr. Ave. A small number of guests gathered outside of Station #1 to witness the unveiling of the baby box, located on the southwest corner of Ocala Fire Rescue’s fire administration lobby tower.
Remarks were provided by Ocala Fire Chief Shane Alexander, Pastor Mark Cummins, City Councilman Ire Bethea, Sr., City of Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn, Senator Dennis Baxley, State Representatives Joe Harding and Mike Beltran, as well as Safe Haven Baby Box Founder Monica Kelsey, and Linda Znachko from He Knows Your Name Ministries.
Designed for the safe, secure and anonymous surrender of a newborn by a mother in crisis, the baby box is equipped with cooling and heating features, locking mechanisms and alarm systems that trigger an immediate response through 911. The baby box will be available for public use 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“By adding a Safe Haven Baby Box to the MLK First Responder Campus, we hope to extend a helping hand to a defenseless child and a mother in crisis,” said Ocala Fire Chief Shane Alexander.
For more information about Safe Haven Baby Boxes, visit www.shbb.org. To speak to a trained professional about surrendering a newborn – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – contact the National Safe Haven Crisis Line at 1-866-99BABY1 (1-866-992-2291).