By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer

Charlotte Bourgault often told people her headstone should read “not too proud to beg.”
Her ability to secure donations and find the best deals to stock shelves of the In a Pinch nonfood pantry while making meaningful connections with patrons will not soon be forgotten, according to those who knew Bourgault.
Bourgault, cofounder and director of the Biddeford pantry, died Dec. 1 at Maine Medical Center in Portland. She was 61.
Bil Moriarty, a Biddeford resident and pantry volunteer, said he is a different person because of Bourgault. Though he had known her for many years, it was the connection the pair forged in the last few years that will stay with him the longest.
Moriarty said Bourgault showed up at his apartment shortly after he returned from a stay in rehab several years ago. Bourgault – who thought his freshly painted green walls looked “institutional” – said he could either sit in his apartment alone or come down to the pantry to volunteer.
“She said ‘Get your coat on, the first option is not an option,’” Moriarty recalled.
 “I’m proud to say I’m a better man for it. I like myself every day because of her. I’m 100 percent committed to the community and volunteering because of her.”
With Bourgault’s encouragement, Moriarty became closely involved with the pantry and saw first hand the work she put into find and providing products like toilet paper and soap to hand for area families. She recently started ordering toilet paper from the Internet because she could get a better deal, he said.
“She could make a nickel stretch, she really could,” he said. “She could really make the money go far.”
Moriarty said Bourgault’s death is a “huge, huge, huge loss for the community” that will affect the many people who turned to her for help and friendship.
“One of the first things Charlotte told me was at In a Pinch we’re not just there to hand out toilet paper. We’re there to make a connection,” Moriarty said. “Charlotte was always there to listen. It didn’t matter if you had a penny in your pocket or a million dollars.”
It’s that kind of connection that City Councilor Pete Lamontagne said made Bourgault “very approachable.”
“It’s not easy to go [to the pantry] to begin with. Charlotte would almost yank you off the street and within a few minutes they felt extremely comfortable,” he said.
Lamontagne, who knew Bourgault for about 40 years, said she made sure pantry patrons never felt like second-class citizens. He said he admired her habit of giving extra items – like body lotion and hair products – to women to help them feel better about themselves.
“She certainly did more than she had to do. It wasn’t a job, it was a labor of love,” he said. “She was just a good person and a good friend to the community. It really didn’t matter where you were coming from. If you walked into In a Pinch you were well taken care of.”
Lamontagne said he will remember Bourgault not only for her work at the pantry, but for her “great” sense of humor.
“She didn’t have her tongue in her pocket. If she needed to say something, no matter what it was, she’d let you have it,” he said.
The Rev. Shirley Bowen of Christ Episcopal Church, which houses the pantry, said she came to know Bourgault well during the past three years. Bourgault was a “great information conduit” for patrons, who she helped guide to services they needed, Bowen said.
“She was, first and foremost, compassionate. She really, really cared deeply about people who were in difficulty and was committed to helping people out,” she said. “She had a great sense of humor. She loved to laugh and she loved to help make other people laugh.”
Bowen said she and Bourgault “laughed well together.” Though she will miss those humorous moments, Bowen said she will also miss Bourgault’s “fierce, fierce commitment to help make people’s lives just a little bit easier.”
Biddeford Mayor Joanne Twomey, who grew up in the same neighborhood as Bourgault, said the city has lost an advocate who understood the struggles faced by residents in need.
“I loved her all my life. She was always a warm and giving person. I think she provided a great service and I was really proud of her,” Twomey said. “She was really a great person. She was there for everyone.”
To City Councilor Bob Mills, Bourgault was always an “upbeat, positive” person who was willing to help in any way she could. He said he met her in 2004 when Bourgault helped his family through a difficult time.
“Charlotte was such a treat to be around. She had such a big heart,” he said. “She is going to be sorely missed. She’ll never be replaced.”
Despite the loss of the pantry’s primary shopper, Moriarty said he and other organizers will continue to operate the pantry, just as Bourgault would have wanted.
‘The pantry will be going strong, we will be open. The pantry will still be a fixture in the community,” Moriarty said. “That’s what Charlotte would want. To live on with her legacy, that’s what we’re going to do.”
While Moriarty mourns the loss of a “saint” and focuses on organizing upcoming pantry activities, he is also taking time to remember the “second mother” he talked to several times a day.
“I’m going to miss that I can’t pick up the phone, that I can’t say ‘I love you,’” he said, his voice thick with tears. “And that I can’t hear her say she loves me.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.