Garden of Innocence National®

Interior View

I chose our caskets to be made of Pine as it is full of knot holes and irregular grains just like we humans are.   We line them with baby flannel that is soft and warm.  Each baby receives a hand made blanket, receiving blanket and beanie baby size toys.   Each new casket is prepared and then wrapped up to keep it clean until we need to use it.
Many families, church groups, youth groups get together to make and build caskets.   Even tho it seems an odd thing to do, you will find that you get creative and actually have fun with this project.
I have one family, The Malinas of Vista, CA, that brought a casket home to line.  The father thought his family was nuts to bring such a thing home.   I told them that it is fun to write notes in the bottom, draw pictures or send a message to a loved one that passed away.   Juanita and her children were in the kitchen working on the lining and writing notes and laughing and pretty soon the father came in to see what was so funny and causing his family to pay so much attention to.  Pretty soon, he asked if he could write a note to him Mother in the bottom also.  
They brought over the prettiest little casket I have ever seen.  They lined it with strawberry shortcake cartoon characters and even cut out some and glued them on foam to make them stand out on the path on the material.
Juanita said that they pretended that they were decorating the room for the infant to come home to.  
This was a family gift to a little baby named Myrom that was buried in Garden of Innocence/San Diego in April 2007.
What an awesome gift this family made for one tiny baby no one else cared about.   

If you would like a copy of your plans, please email us at goinational@hotmail.com with your address and we will send them out.

Letters about our caskets


Hi, my name is Steve Dunbarr from Spirit Lake, Idaho.

I saw our website on building caskets for baby's that have no one. God
Bless you for your work.

I have a special request, my wife & I have kind of adopted a young couple
from our church. They found out they were having a baby, but the baby
(Lyla Grace) has a terminal condition (Anencephaly, which means the brain
didn't form) that unless God heals will only live about 20 minutes.

They have nothing and have ask me to build her casket.
could you please email me your plans, as this is exactly what they are
looking for.

Thank you, Steven Dunbarr

Hi,
  
  We have a sad family situation where my son and daughter-in-law's baby is know to have sever medical problems and likely will not live long after its birth. 
  
  I am the grandfather and have expressed an interest in building a casket for the burial.  I found your site while searching on the internet for some plans.
  
  I like what you are doing and would be willing to build two caskets, one for us and one for you, if you would be willing to share your plans with me. 
  
  Please email me and let me know if some arrangement can be made.
  
  Thank you.
  
  Kenyon Hart


Hello,

     I was reading a story on the internet about The
Garden of Innocence and think it is a really great
thing you are doing.  Every time I hear a story of
another abandoned baby that has passed I usually
wonder what they do with them.  Now that I know the
Garden exist I will now think of it as a place that
the lost children go to be buried with dignity and
respect. 

Thank you,

Tim, San Diego