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In Carmel, a first for Safe Haven Baby Boxes

Instructions now in English and Spanish
Posted at 11:27 PM, Nov 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-08 23:33:07-05

CARMEL—Carmel's Safe Haven Baby Box is the first in the U.S. to go bilingual.

The new look was unveiled Friday at Carmel Fire Station Five, 10701 North College Avenue, just north of 106th Street.

The box, which was installed last year, is the same. But now, instructions are in English and Spanish.

Fire Department Public Information Officer Tim Griffin says the bilingual signs are a way to reach out to the Hispanic Community.

To date, no babies have been dropped off in the Carmel Safe Haven Box, but in southern Indiana, a newborn was recently left in the Seymour box.

Chanel Cunningham is Director of Programs and Administration for Safe Haven Baby Boxes. She says there are 19 in the U.S. now. Indiana leads the way with 15 of them.

According to its mission statement, "Safe Haven Baby Boxes mission is to prevent illegal abandonment of newborns by raising awareness, offering a 24-hour hotline for mothers in crisis and offering a last resort option for women."