The idea of establishing a home for orphaned children at Meherabad, a small community in Western India, has been a consistent dream for many pilgrims who have journeyed to India over the years to visit Meher Baba's spiritual center. Many of these pilgrims have witnessed the plight of orphaned children in India. Some have been blessed by the opportunity to adopt a child from India. It is with this in mind that the project to build Pumpkin House for Children was conceived. Meher Baba, by His words, and personal example, encouraged his followers to attempt to practice "Selfless Service," to love and serve Him through loving and serving others.

In response to this invitation, a small group of Baba lovers, led by Charlie Gard'ner of Athens, Georgia, convened for the first time in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 21, 2002. Their intent was to form an advisory committee to look into the reality of establishing a home of children at Meherabad.

Discussions on these issues continued at subsequent meetings in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, Pumpkin House for Children USA, Inc., was established in the state of Georgia to carry on this work.

Since then, several board members have visited India to explore the availability of land, the project's relationship with the Trust, and potential collaborators.

Pumpkin House USA has made small grants to several organizations in Maharastra State that are dedicated to serving the needs of children. The organization is also providing regular support to Pumpkin House India, a residential home for children near Meherabad that has approximately 20 full-time children in residence.

Pumpkin House USA continues to explore the prospects for supporting the needs of children in the Meherabad area and welcomes grant applications to serve this purpose. For more information, contact board chair Mark Hodges at mhodges158@earthlink.net.