San Angelo could get a Safe Haven Baby Box — here's what that means
'So here in Texas, we have the highest number of newborns who have been abandoned in our state, and it seems to be going up every day. With Safe Haven Baby Boxes, this is an alternative to that,' Wood explained.
SAFD joins baby box fundraising initiative
A baby box provides a safe, temperature-controlled environment for parents or guardians to surrender their infant. When a baby is placed inside, the box immediately notifies the appropriate care professionals, who can promptly retrieve the child. This process allows guardians to surrender their baby without encountering the care professionals, reducing any fear of judgment that might prevent them from ensuring the child's safety.
Chief of the San Angelo Fire Department Johnny Fisher said their crew has experienced the reality of this firsthand.
'The most recent was probably about seven or eight years ago… the baby was dropped off by the mother. Fire stations and hospitals are safe haven through the Moses Law, a safe places to surrender your babies,' Fisher recalled. 'We took the baby, the baby was unharmed. Everything went great. A few questions were asked, like maybe the name, if there's any health problems or concerns, and then the baby was taken to the hospital. So it was very uneventful, and worked out, well.'
However, this is not always the case. From Lubbock to Los Angeles, infant abandonment remains a heartbreaking reality. A Safe Haven baby box provides an alternative with an emphasis on anonymity.
'Sometimes they haven't told anybody that they're pregnant. It could be a teenager. It could be just anybody. They haven't told anybody yet,' Wood shared. 'This gives them a way to be anonymous and still love their baby enough to surrender it in a Safe Haven Baby Boxes.'
Left with Love: Inside the Baby Box Movement
Right now, a Safe Haven Baby Box in San Angleo is still an idea, but one with a location and goal in mind.
'When the money is raised for the box, we'll have to order the box, but once it comes in, it's going to be installed at the central fire station, 306 West First. It's going to be installed on the south exterior wall,' Fisher said.
They are currently in the fundraising stage, but with a price tag of upwards of $25,000, there's still a long way to go.
'We have a little less than $1,000, and I believe here in San Angelo that people do love our community, and I think this is great for our community, and that they can protect the least of these. They can protect these, these infants, and still support the moms as well,' Wood added.
A way to save lives and offer hope to families in desperate situations. , and if you have any questions, you can contact hanna@safehavenbabyboxes.com or call (260) 632-2338.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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The late Fred Rogers, of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' television fame, was given some advice by his mother for tough or scary times. 'Look for the helpers,' Rogers once recalled. 'You will always find people who are helping.' Robyne Wood of Huntington Beach is a helper. That will remain true regardless of Wood's status at Robyne's Nest, the nonprofit she started in 2015 to help at-risk and homeless high school students who are drug- and alcohol-free. But after a decade in charge, she's stepping away. Wood announced last month that she will be resigning as Robyne's Nest executive director in January. She said she feels the timing is right for her. Her husband, Kirby, turns 65 next year and will also be retiring. Her daughter Savana is getting married next year, while her son Parker just graduated from high school. So Wood is stepping away for a new chapter and some well deserved time off. 'I never saw myself being here more than 10 years, I don't know why.' she said. 'Robyne's Nest is doing really well financially. In our schools and in our programs, it's really sound. What better time to hand something off to somebody else to continue it than when it's doing great?' It can be considered a full-circle moment, as Robyne's Nest was born out of Wood's volunteer help when Savana was a student at Dwyer Middle School. Morgan Smith, the director of certified human resources for the Huntington Beach Union High School District, was principal at Dwyer back then. 'In an area of Huntington Beach where there's so much affluence, there's also extreme poverty,' Smith said. 'A lot of families were stacked in apartments three or four families deep. We had kids that went to Dwyer that were sleeping in vans at night. There wasn't a system in place for schools to really have the kind of consistent outreach.' Wood created a food pantry, but as the need became greater, more resources were needed. Smith suggested that she start a nonprofit, so she dove in. 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The office on Talbert Avenue, which Robyne's Nest moved into in 2018, has expanded over the years. In the back is a food pantry, and upstairs is space for an in-house mental health and wellness program, as well as a therapy room. Next door is a thrift shop opened in 2022 that's open to the public and helps support the cause. Another key step was opening Robyne's Landing, a shared transitional living house in Huntington Beach for abandoned and severely neglected students. Wood said she lived there herself for three months after a house manager had a family emergency, which should surprise no one who knows her well. 'She is a dynamo,' said Tom Williamson, a past president of the Robyne's Nest Board of Trustees who owns Marina Auto Body. 'I've never met anybody like Robyne. I know that probably sounds like it's buttered up, but let me tell you. If you spend some time with her, 'no' is not in her vocabulary, she gets it done. I wish I had a whole bunch of employees like her. I've got a few, but my God.' Linda Temple, who just retired as a psychologist at Edison High School, said that she started working with Wood when she was providing snacks for high school students. Now Wood has a team of about 50 core volunteers, plus many more who help at the holiday season. 'It's such a transitional time, and it's so critical for students to have support and know they're not alone,' Temple said. 'Even on a good day, they're struggling. You have so many who have issues with parents at home, or they live with grandparents. The mental health issue is huge.' Wood said she herself would have been a Robyne's Nest kid. Growing up on the East Coast, she left home when she was 17 and moved to Maryland. 'I finished my senior year on my own, I worked, I rode the bus,' she said. 'I learned a lot of lessons. I know what these kids go through and try to share that with them.' Wood and her family moved to Huntington Beach in 2008. She has two noticeable tattoos on her left wrist. 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