26-05-2025
Open Arms Foundation fundraising for state's third Safe Haven Baby Box
May 26—Open Arms Foundation of Jasper County is about halfway to its fundraising goal to establish the state's third ever Safe Haven Baby Box in Newton.
Nicholas Pietrack, founder of the Open Arms Foundation, said a Safe Haven Baby Box is estimated to cost around $20,000, and then there is an annual service fee of $500 for re-certification, updated trainings and testings. So to cover for those extra fees, Open Arms Foundation set its goal at $30,000.
So far, the nonprofit organization has raised about $16,000 for the project. All of the funds have been donations from community members. Newton Masonic Lodge held a fundraiser breakfast for Open Arms Foundation back in April, the proceeds of which were donated to the nonprofit to help secure a Safe Haven Baby Box.
In 2002, Iowa enacted safe haven laws that allow parents of a child appearing 90 days old to legally surrender that child to an emergency medical service provider. Only two Safe Haven Baby Boxes exist in the state: Des Moines and Fort Dodge. Pietrack said Open Arms Foundation wants to be the third in the state.
Ever since the safe haven laws have been in effect, Pietrack said there have been 74 instances where a parent legally surrendered their child. Pietrack said the idea of the safe haven laws is to protect parents and the children in the event of a crisis. The parent is protected from abandonment and neglect charges.
"It's a legal, anonymous surrender," Pietrack said. "The issue that states have discovered is that sometimes the actual act of going to somebody and saying, 'I want to give up my kid,' people are afraid to do that. They're afraid of the ramifications and the shame and the public image."
Which is partly why Safe Haven Baby Boxes have been implemented in a number of states. Currently, more than 330 Safe Haven Baby Boxes have been installed throughout the United States. Pietrack said they are typically installed around fire departments or hospitals, which have 24-7 staffing.
When a child is placed in the box, the door closes and a packet of information is released for the parent on what to do next and followup with information about the child. By the time the child is placed in a box, a silent alarm is sounded so that a medical provider can retrieve the baby. Dispatch is also notified.
Average response time is one to two minutes. Currently, Open Arms Foundation wants to install the Safe Haven Baby Box at MercyOne Newton Medical Center.
Another Iowa community that wants to install a Safe Haven Baby Box is Norwalk. Within the past year or so, an infant was born in a home in Norwalk and was discarded, leading to its death. Pietrack said Open Arms Foundation wants to remain proactive so that situations like that do not happen in Jasper County.
Open Arms Foundation was created as a reaction to helping drug endangered children in Jasper County. Parents who are facing crisis often are also involved in drugs. Pietrack said a Safe Haven Baby Box extends the nonprofit's mission further by providing an opportunity for children to be safely taken care of.
"If this box saves one kid in the next 20 years, that's worth it," Pietrack said.
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