KIMBERLY, Idaho — For some, an unwanted pregnancy can lead to a tough choice. Now, the Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office is looking at providing a safe option for those who feel they have no other way out.
WATCH: Twin Falls County officials aim to install the Magic Valley's first Safe Haven Baby Box at the Rock Creek Fire Station in Kimberly.
Officials are working to install the first-ever Safe Haven Baby Box in the Magic Valley at the Rock Creek Fire Station in Kimberly at 1559 Main St. N in Kimberly (Map).
"If they are unable to care for — for whatever reason — be it medical or financial, whatever the reason is ... they can drop it off here up to 30 days old," Twin Falls Sheriff Lieutenant Perry Barnhill said.
The effort was made possible behind the work of an eastern Idaho nurse. Passed in July of 2025, Idaho House Bill 1058 made it possible for communities to start installing Safe Haven baby boxes.
"It was actually illegal to do something like this up until a few years ago — a nurse up in Blackfoot got with her legislators and passed it where it wasn't considered child abandonment anymore," Barnhill said.
Barnhill said that since then, three baby boxes have been installed in Idaho, but none in the Magic Valley.
"Blackfoot has one, Weiser has one and there is one up in Northern Idaho ... there is nothing in the Twin Falls area ... nothing in Boise," Barnhill said.
Now, plans are in place to fix that at the Rock Creek Fire Station in Kimberly. Fire Chief Arron Zent showed where the box would be installed.
"It's going to be placed here in front of the fire station — below this window — similar to a very large bank-safety deposit box — the baby would be put inside of it — it would be pushed in — and there would be an alarm," Zent said.
With 24-hour staffing and trained emergency personnel on hand, the infant would immediately be transferred to Saint Lukes in Twin Falls, along with the notification of child welfare.
As for the parents, Barnhill said the baby box is 100% anonymous.
"It's totally anonymous — when they open up the box there is a packet that drops out that the parents take with them — the packet the parents take with them has tons of resources where they can go for counseling and also highly encourages the mother to go seek medical care," Barnhill said.
With the cost of construction already covered by a local contractor, the $18,000 baby box is still a dream until all the funds are raised.
To get the box over the finish line, Rock Creek and the Sheriff's Office is hosting a pancake breakfast and silent auction on November 14 at the Rock Creek Fire Station from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
"Once that completed and we get the results from the grants we've applied for, we'll see where were at — hopefully well have enough money to bring this to light sooner rather than later," Barnhill said.
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