Ministry in Atoka provides safety, care for infants
The Safe Haven Baby Box, housed at the Atoka fire department, has been providing hope and care for newborns since late 2024. In the photo above are, from left, Atoka fire chief Bill Scott; Monica Kelsey, founder of SHBB; Atoka Mayor Barry Akin; and Jeff Gautney, pastor of Gateway Baptist, at the ministry’s ribbon cutting. — Submitted photo
ATOKA — When Fire Chief Bill Scott’s phone rang in the overnight hours of Jan. 2, his first thought was a power outage.
Instead, the alarm monitoring company reported multiple alarms from the Safe Haven Baby Box at Atoka Fire Station 1, confirming an infant had been placed inside.
“I confirmed what I had heard and acknowledge the alarm,” Scott told the B&R.
Within minutes, firefighters verified no one remained outside and retrieved the infant from the climate-controlled box. They wrapped the baby in a homemade knitted pink blanket and brought the child inside the station.
Scott arrived 10 minutes after receiving the call to find the baby resting peacefully in a firefighter’s lap.
“We had estimated the age of the child to be between one to two months old, leaning closer to one month,” Scott said. The crew assessed the baby’s vital signs and checked for neglect or abuse. “There were no findings of either, and the baby was found to be very healthy.”
“We’ve started the process. The baby is in Department of Children’s Services custody and will go through the foster-to-adopt program,” said Jeff Gautney, missions and family pastor at Gateway Baptist Church.
Gateway Baptist, of Big Hatchie Baptist Association (BHBA), spearheaded the effort to bring the baby box to West Tennessee, providing nearly $16,000 to purchase the receptacle while working with city officials and the fire department to install it in November 2024.
Fourteen months later, it saved a life.
“Being super candid, I never thought in a million years it would get used,” Gautney said. “But it’s a great project.”
A solution to a gut-wrenching problem
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are secure, climate-controlled units that allow parents to anonymously surrender newborn infants. Equipped with alarms and monitored by authorities, the boxes ensure safe, legal transfer of children to professional care.
When a baby is placed inside, an alarm alerts fire department personnel, who retrieve the infant and transfer the child to the nearest hospital.
Medical professionals provide immediate care before the infant enters the foster care system. Surrendered babies are typically adopted within 30 to 45 days.
According to Safe Haven Baby Boxes, 142 boxes are now installed across 11 states. The organization collaborates with legislators, healthcare professionals, and community organizations to raise awareness about safe surrender options.
Tennessee’s Safe Haven law, enacted in July 2001 and updated most recently in 2025, allows parents to surrender unharmed infants up to 45 days old at designated facilities without prosecution and with confidentiality. Since 2001, more than 141 babies have been safely surrendered statewide.
Additionally, before an infant can be adopted, reasonable efforts are made to locate the father, as established by the laws of each state.
Scott wrote in a Facebook post that the box “prevented that child from being found unalive in a dumpster or in a box on the side of the road.”
Gautney added that he heard about an infant found in a dumpster about 45 minutes from Atoka.
“Another baby was found in a container in a freezer,” he said. “Just crazy, horrific stories. What if these women had an option? We can’t even fathom some of the situations that these women are in.”
Still, Gautney acknowledged the decision these women face is “gut-wrenching.”
Ripple effect across the region
The journey to installation began about 18 months before the box opened, when a firefighter in Gateway’s congregation shared stories of abandoned infants with Gautney.
Gateway Baptist has a strong emphasis on foster care. Several church families, including Gautney’s own, have adopted children through the foster care system.
He and his wife have two sons through adoption who will both turn 7 this year.
“I saw firsthand the lack of support system,” Gautney said. “For a lot of these women, they don’t have a support system in place.”
When Gautney learned about Safe Haven Baby Boxes, he initially felt overwhelmed. But he and several church members visited a box in Jackson, Tenn. Then they began meeting with Atoka’s fire department and city officials.
They chose Station 1 because it sits closest to the main highway, providing access from major cities like Memphis.
A local construction company volunteered to discount construction by nearly 50%, while a local alarm company donated equipment and labor to install the alarm.
Faith Baptist Church (of the BHBA) in Tipton County also contributed to the effort.
“It really does have to be the pastor’s heart,” Gautney said. “The main goal is to see the gospel go forth. The pastor at Faith Baptist has such a genuine heart. We’ve been able to form relationships with a few other churches in our community to really move beyond our one institution and look at how we’re going to reach our community together.”
The impact has extended beyond Atoka.
Collierville completed testing on its baby box this week and will launch soon. Bartlett secured approval and funding and will begin construction.
Another local fire station that is under construction plans to include a box from the beginning.
“Three baby boxes were birthed out of ours being placed,” Gautney said. “That’s how word is spreading — people are seeing that this is definitely a need.”
The nearest other boxes are in Jackson, Tenn., and Jonesboro and Forrest City, Ark.
‘The last resort’
Safe Haven Baby Boxes describes its mission as providing a last resort for parents in crisis.
Some critics argue baby boxes offer only temporary solutions to deeper problems. Gautney said Gateway Baptist also addresses root issues through their Embrace Grace program, which helps unwed mothers, often in their teens.
“Ultimately, the root problem comes from that home not being centered on Christ,” he said.
“The only way we can help is get out there and share the gospel through as many avenues as we can.
“But, number one, the mothers end up choosing life,” Gautney emphasized. “And the baby box gives them the option to do that.”
Safe Haven Baby Boxes also offers free medical and counseling resources. The Atoka box includes a 24-hour phone number and information about available support.
Faith despite doubt
When Gautney received the call about the surrendered infant, he felt surprised and amazed.
“I think it is very faith-building because we really stepped out to do this,” he said. “If I was skeptical about it happening, I know they were. And then to see it happen and to know that we had a part in saving this child’s life — that’s incredible.
“There are so many steps of obedience that in the moment you don’t really fully understand what the Lord is doing and why, but you step out in obedience. Then to see it come to fruition later, you are flabbergasted that the Lord would do something like this and allow you to be a part of it.” B&R — You can visit the Tennessee’s baby box locator at www.secretsafeplacetn.org/pages/store-locator.
