The Town of Bernalillo Fire Department will hold a dedication and blessing ceremony for its new Safe Haven Baby Box on Wednesday at 3 p.m., providing a safe and anonymous option for mothers in crisis to surrender their infants.
The ceremony will take place at the Bernalillo Fire Department, 829 S Camino Del Pueblo, marking the installation of the secure drop off location that allows parents to anonymously surrender newborns.
“This box is more than just a physical structure; it symbolizes a promise of safety and a fresh start for babies in need,” the fire department said in an announcement. “This essential resource serves our community and the surrounding areas.”
The baby box, which will be integrated into the exterior wall of the fire station on the south side of Town Hall, operates through an environmentally controlled bassinet system. When a parent places an infant inside, the box automatically locks and dispenses an orange bag containing resources for the parent. A silent alarm notifies firefighters 60 seconds later.
According to Fire Chief Michael Legendre, the town secured $10,000 in state funding for the project, but the total cost with installation and fees reached approximately $24,000. The department held fundraising events earlier this year to cover the remaining expenses.
“This is a very valuable resource for mothers in need within our community and the entire metro area,” Legendre said in January.
The Safe Haven Baby Box organization, founded in 2015 by Monica Kelsey, who was abandoned as an infant, operates as a nonprofit providing secure and legal methods for parents to surrender infants at designated locations.
The Bernalillo installation comes as New Mexico expands its network of baby boxes statewide. The closest box to the metro area is in Belen, where it was installed in 2024. The first baby was surrendered there in February.
“That baby is alive today, so that is a success for us,” Belen Fire Chief Charles Cox said of the surrender.
New Mexico’s first baby box was installed in Española in 2022 following an incident in which a woman left her baby in a dumpster in Hobbs. The infant survived, prompting legislative action. In 2022, state legislators allocated $330,000 for baby boxes, enough funding to build one in each of the state’s 33 counties.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes have been used three times statewide since their introduction, with the first official surrender occurring in Hobbs in September 2023. Baby boxes are also located in Alamogordo, Roswell, Carlsbad and Hobbs, with two planned for Albuquerque.
The dedication ceremony is open to the public.