Project will provide a safe haven

It started in the 2019-2020 school year, two young women pitched a project for a grant alongside the non-profit, Pathway for Hope. The project, the Safe Haven Baby Box, is intended to provide parents in desperate situations a place to surrender their newborn, anonymously and into the care of medical professionals.

The box, once funded, will be placed at the Muhlenberg County 911 Center and staffed with trained professionals. It is properly ventilated and contains a silent alarm that informs the staff at the 911 center if a child is placed inside the box. The child will be examined to ensure he or she hasn’t been neglected or abused; following the examination the child will be placed in the care of the Office of Child Protective Services.

“My heart’s desire is that the box never has to be used. But if one mother is in a crisis situation and doesn’t know what to do with a baby and the box provides a safe haven for the child then it’s worth it,” Diana Anderson, director at Pathway of Hope, said.

After an arduous journey riddled with bureaucracy and lobbying, all of the necessary regulatory and legislative hurdles were met. The funding for the project will come entirely from the community. “We want to cover that, [the box] so the county isn’t out anything, so that it is truly a community project,” Anderson said.

Anderson has been leading this project since inception and has a fierce passion for the betterment of children and battered women in the county. Pathway of Hope is an organization with local founders, which strives to provide resources necessary for parents to overcome crisis situations such as clothing, counseling and food. The agency is not run by any political organization or corporation, and remains completely independent and locally sourced for its staff and financial wellbeing.

The fundraising effort has been a resounding success with $15,000 dollars of the necessary $20,000 already accrued. Anderson anticipated the goal to be reached within the coming weeks and for the Safe Haven Baby Box to be installed in mid-summer 2021.