MANCHESTER, N.H. – Local leaders, first responders and other members of the community gathered at Manchester Central Fire Station on Tuesday afternoon to commemorate the opening of New Hampshire’s first-ever safe haven baby box.
Installed on the Pine Street side of the fire station, the box allows parents in distress to anonymously donate newborn infants safely rather than leave them in a potentially dangerous area. When someone outside the building places a child into the box, a silent alarm will go off inside the fire station, with firefighters bringing the infant to a local hospital for immediate care.
The concept was established by a former first responder named Monica Kelsey. In 1972, a 17-year-old girl was brutally attacked, raped and left for dead, finding out six weeks later that she was pregnant. The girl eventually gave birth to Kelsey, abandoning her two hours after birth in a local hospital. Years later, Kelsey was in Cape Town, South Africa when she saw a box for abandoned babies, which coupled with her own experience inspired her to bring the concept to America.
Manchester’s new safe haven baby box marks the 443rd safe haven baby box since the program’s establishment in 2015 in Indiana.
“We were finding about two babies dead in (Indiana) every year, and to me that was a tragedy,” said Kelsey at the event on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s ceremony held additional importance following the death of “Baby Grace” in 2025, an infant found dead and abandoned on Pond Island Road in Manchester. The story of Baby Grace eventually led to safe haven facilities in New Hampshire where parents in distress could donate babies without fear of retribution.
“A little over a year ago, multiple companies responded to Pine Island Road for an infant in the water. This is a call that none of us will forget, both among our first responders and our (entire) community,” said Manchester Fire Department Chief Ryan Cashin. “Every fire station in the city is a place where the community can feel safe knowing that we are here 24 hours a day, and this safe haven baby box further demonstrates the commitment by the City of Manchester to provide secure options for vulnerable infants, making this fire station a true safe haven.”
