Founded in 1992 by Susan Parkinson as a rescue and shelter for unwanted potbellied pigs, Lil Orphan Hammies became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 1994. Since then, Lil Orphan Hammies has taken in, arranged for the adoption of, or otherwise secured the rescue of over one thousand potbellied pigs. The shelter covers a five-acre area in the hills of Solvang, California.