TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

When Bill and Dominique Moseley got the call that Friday night, learning that their family of seven was about to add one to its total, they jumped in the car and headed to Target.

They darted through the aisles sweeping the essentials into their cart -- clothes, diapers, a car seat. The "baby package."

Then it was off to the hospital to pick up the little girl who had just been given up by her mother as part of the Safely Surrender program.

"For people who are ready to adopt, Safely Surrender is almost like a miracle," Bill Moseley said. "She's been a huge blessing to us."

Moseley spoke before the Kern County Board of Supervisors Tuesday as part of a formal declaration that February is Safely Surrender Month.

The program allows mothers to surrender their child at a fire station or hospital, said Supervisor Karen Goh.

"Last year we had four babies' lives that were saved through the safely surrender program in Kern County," said Department of Human Services Assistant Director Antanette Jones. Four women in crisis "knew they had the option to walk into a fire department or an emergency room and safely surrender their babies into the hands of caring individuals.

"They did not have to tell their stories. They did not have to answer any questions. And they did not have to feel the fear of being persecuted for child abandonment."

The program is designed to help mothers who don't have the financial, emotional or family support to care for a child.

"We don't want people to think that the solution is to birth the baby and dump it," Jones said.

Matching wristbands are attached to the baby and given to the mother, allowing the mother to claim the baby within 14 days.

"To my knowledge, that has only happened once," Jones said.

The infants are placed with families, like the Moseleys, that have already been cleared for adoption by Child Protective Services staff.

There are no criminal consequences, either, if the child is surrendered within 72 hours of birth.

Since 2006 the program has connected 25 children with new homes in Kern County, Goh said.

Moseley said the program is a great way for women in crisis to help their children.

"You know that a baby goes into a home where they're loved and wanted," he said.

Moseley, a professor at Bakersfield College, and his wife first looked into adoption before their two biological children were born.

"My wife had some health concerns," he said.

After two successful pregnancies, however, the Moseleys began looking at adoption again, hoping to do more than simply expand their family.

The couple now have four adopted children, three who are African American and one who is Latino. The kids range in age from infant to early teens.

"We thought it was a real cool way to have a diverse family," Moseley said.

He feels he's been able to seize a unique opportunity to connect with people he and his wife might never have met if they hadn't opened their family to their adopted children.

He's met a number of people who spoke to him only because they wondered why a "white guy" was shopping for African-American hair care products, Moseley said.

The Moseleys have recruited "mentors of various cultural backgrounds" for their children and themselves, Moseley said.

Safely Surrender became a part of their lives as they started the process of adopting their sixth child.

They were cleared and ready for their adoption when their newest daughter was turned in to a local hospital emergency room.

"We got the call on a Friday night and they said, 'We have a baby,'" Moseley said.

Now the Moseleys have a fourth daughter.