Welcome Hugh Minor, Director of Communications at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, the nonprofit organization that acquires food and distributes it to more than 53,000 Rhode Islanders each month. 

He will be taking over the Read By Patty J at Barrington Books Book Club for September which is Hunger Action Month, and I couldn’t be more excited about it! (And as always, you get 20% off the cover price of this month’s pick when you mention “Read By Patty J” at checkout at both Barrington Books and BBRetold in Garden City Center.)

Now, here’s Hugh...

I wanted to share Stephanie Land’s Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive because it’s a familiar story that we hear often at the Food Bank. 

Stephanie is a single mom, struggling to find ways to support herself and her daughter. She finds a job as a housekeeper but it is physically and emotionally draining leaving her with little energy to care for her daughter or herself.  

The demanding, low-wage job has some benefits – flexibility among them, but still leaves Stephanie relying on “the system” for assistance. 

The challenges of childcare, healthcare and paying the bills add up and she knows that she is living on the edge. One unexpected expense can throw them back into poverty. 

Take the journey with her and see how she manages to patch things together – not always successfully. 

Stephanie’s story is like that of many of our neighbors – working but struggling to make ends meet. It’s stressful and exhausting and often there doesn’t seem like there’s a way out – not without some hard work and sacrifices. 

Read Along With Us

Join us over on Instagram (@hughman_being70, @pattyjdotcom, and @barringtonbooks) all month long where we’ll be sharing more about Maid . We also have a few surprises we think you’ll really be jazzed about. In addition, we encourage you to share your Maid bookstagrams on Insta. You might just see yours reposted to Patty J’s IG Stories.