As the sun sets, Rhode Island closes up shop— or so it would seem from the abandoned highway lanes and retail stores rarely open past 10 p. m. But for thousands of workers, the day is just beginning— a day when they’ ll make deliveries, prepare meals, respond to calls, check on patients and fulfill all the other tasks that keep the state running through the night. COVID-19 and other recent shifts have forever altered our economy. In many places, twenty-four-hour stores and restaurants are a thing of the past, and the businesses that remain are the essential ones where employees accomplish the work others can’ t— or won’ t— do. For them, the job goes on regardless of weather or daytime obligations. For several weeks this past winter, we followed their work( and attempted their sleep schedules) and uncovered a camaraderie and sense of mutual care rarely glimpsed during the day. Here are their stories.
By LAUREN CLEM U Photography by JONATHAN PITTS-WILEY
On the
NIGHT
SHIFT
As the sun sets, Rhode Island closes up shop— or so it would seem from the abandoned highway lanes and retail stores rarely open past 10 p. m. But for thousands of workers, the day is just beginning— a day when they’ ll make deliveries, prepare meals, respond to calls, check on patients and fulfill all the other tasks that keep the state running through the night. COVID-19 and other recent shifts have forever altered our economy. In many places, twenty-four-hour stores and restaurants are a thing of the past, and the businesses that remain are the essential ones where employees accomplish the work others can’ t— or won’ t— do. For them, the job goes on regardless of weather or daytime obligations. For several weeks this past winter, we followed their work( and attempted their sleep schedules) and uncovered a camaraderie and sense of mutual care rarely glimpsed during the day. Here are their stories.
80 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I APRIL 2026