Note: This video is from February 2024.

EUREKA, Mo. – An option for mothers to anonymously surrender their baby, the Safe Haven baby box, is adding a new location to the area Wednesday.

The company announced a baby box is installed at Eureka’s Fire Station #2 located at 1815 W. Fifth St. Funding for the baby box came from numerous local donors.

“Safe Haven Baby Boxes are a vital resource, providing a lifeline for mothers and a safe beginning for their newborns,” officials stated.

The boxes are installed at fire stations and hospitals along an exterior wall, removing the face-to-face interaction, according to a release. The door opens from the outside, and once a baby is placed into the temperature-controlled incubator and the door is shut, it automatically locks. Personnel in the building are notified, where they can open the box from the inside and safely retrieve the baby.

According to the website, parents are able to utilize the baby box until the infant is 45 days old. Under the Safe Haven law, parents will not be prosecuted or identified after surrendering the baby.

This baby box marks the third one in the area with others located in Mehlville and Cedar Hill.

The news comes at a time when citizens in the City of St. Louis worked with local politicians to install one along Dr. Martin Luther King Drive through private funds—but they can’t receive an answer from the city as to why the process is stalled.

The last known use of a local Safe Haven baby box was at the Mehlville location in February 2024.