Pendleton moving toward installing Safe Haven Baby Box

Jul. 15—PENDLETON — The idea of placing a Safe Haven Baby Box at the town's fire department found a receptive audience at Thursday's town council meeting.

Council member Robert Jones invited Julie Schnepp, with the Pendleton Fire Department Auxiliary, to share research she's done on the baby boxes. Schnepp said she's been in contact with Safe Haven, a nonprofit organization that builds, installs and maintains baby boxes.

"They're excited that we want to do it, that we want to be involved in it," Schnepp told the council. "All the fundraising actually goes through their organization, so we're not collecting the money."

The cost for a box, which would be installed at the fire department at 100 S. Broadway, would be about $20,000, an amount Schnepp said could be raised through donations from individuals and businesses. An annual maintenance fee of $300 would also be charged.

Council members welcomed the idea and left open the possibility that the town could possibly provide gap funding should the full amount for installation fail to be raised.

"I think it's something we should take a good, hard look at," Jones said. "We're all aware of the Supreme Court ruling (overturning Roe v. Wade) recently, and we may see possibly more of a need for a box like this. I hope that if we do this, it would be something that we would never use.

"If you can save one infant's life with this, it would be more than worth the investment, in my view."

Pendleton would be the second Madison County community to approve a baby box after the town council in Edgewood unanimously approved installing a box at its fire department last month.

Baby boxes allow women who have recently given birth but are unable to keep their babies anonymously surrender them at a safe place. Safe Haven, the nonprofit which has placed climate-controlled boxes at more than 100 locations around Indiana, would provide training for first responders and background information on the state's safe haven law.

The concept, Schnepp said, is "already tested, it's already approved."

Schnepp provided documentation to town attorney Jeff Graham and asked council members to review legal documents pertaining to the baby boxes before proceeding.

"We have Safe Haven baby laws that we need to make sure we all understand and know, because sometimes people don't understand that," she said. "The fire chief is on board, ambulance crew, everyone's on board."

Follow Andy Knight on Twitter @Andrew_J_Knight, or call 765-640-4809.