The public is invited to hear the founder of the Baby Box program tell her story about the program she started about three years ago to help women who want to give up their babies and have nowhere else to turn.

Monica Kelsey will speak during a free lunch explaining the program and what it means to the community at noon Sunday at St. Mary’s Parish Center, 212 Washington St., North Vernon.

The program is coming to North Vernon to protect the most vulnerable children in Decatur, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ripley and surrounding counties, according to a news release.

Indiana became a Safe Haven State in 2001, and that means any new mother can surrender her baby less than 30 days old at any hospital, police station or 24-hour staffed fire department anonymously, no questions asked.

Baby Boxes are currently in place at two firehouses in northern Indiana and one in Decatur Township in Marion County. Two babies have been rescued.

The boxes are built into the sides of a building and programmed to sense when a baby has been placed inside. An EMS alert is initiated when the door is opened and a baby placed inside, as the door is locked upon closing and cannot be reopened from the outside.

Knights of Columbus Council 1631 is helping to get a Baby Box installed at a North Vernon fire station.

With Mayor Mike Ochs and the North Vernon City Council, the Knights have undertaken the fundraising efforts to purchase and install this box with a goal of $10,000.

Information: 812-532-9367 or [email protected]