‘Put on Earth to Serve’

Raising four kids, all less than 11 years old, is a full-time job for Costa Mesa mother Amy Palmerton, but she would rather use that as a catalyst for getting involved in charitable work than an excuse not to.

Palmerton is one of a group of 20 to 40 local moms who used to get together every week so that their toddlers could run around and play at parks. They mostly met through their church, Rock Harbor, in Costa Mesa.

Then, in 2008, one of the moms, Justina Erre, decided that it would be good example to spend the time they usually spent watching their kids play to set up a table at Wilson Park and distribute food and water to the needy.

“Justina just had a vision that instead of just meeting socially, we would meet and serve with our kids,” Palmerton said.

The women ran the table for months, while their kids ran around and occasionally pitched in.

It didn’t take them too long to step it up a notch.

They started having garage sales two times a year to raise money. Last fall, they helped a mother with two small kids by paying $3,000 worth of bills for her and buying her groceries. During Christmas, they donated four cars to families that didn’t have them but needed them for work or to go to medical appointments.

Along with the cars, they gave food, supplies and money to the families.

It took less than two years for what started as a routine play date to become a serious endeavor.

“It just went from an idea to ‘holy cow, we’re actually doing stuff,’” Erre said.

The women call themselves POETS, which stands for Put on Earth to Serve, and they have been gradually adapting to the growth of their organization. They recently opened up a bank account to hold all of the donations they collect, and they are in the process of applying for nonprofit status.

After Christmas, the leaders of the group decided that it needed to have a clearer focus, so they decided to dedicate themselves to helping single mothers raise their children.

Last year before school started, they bought 215 backpacks and stuffed them with school supplies to give to kids in Costa Mesa schools. Friday morning, they did it again, this time with 375 backpacks.

Dozens of the mothers’ kids ran around the backyard of the home of Jamie Rice — one of the members — who hosted the backpack-stuffing session. Some of the kids helped out.

“I think it’s really important to expand [the kids’] horizons,” said Lisa Proctor, wife of lead pastor Todd Proctor.

She has four kids and has been with POETS since its inception.

In many ways, the group originated in the same way as Rock Harbor did 12 years ago, with a set of determined people who started with no permanent venue, no funding and no board of directors.

That’s part of what makes the organization so inspiring, according to Palmerton.

The message she hopes it sends, Palmerton said, is to make time to be charitable while you’re still struggling to get by.

“Don’t get your stuff together and then do things,” she said.

POETS

Stands For: Put on Earth to Serve

Originated: 2008

Founder: Justina Erre

Members: About 20 active

Goal: Helping single mothers care for their children