William – Faces of Seabury

If William could pick one thing to be proud of in his life it would be his commitment to hard work. Born and raised in Washington, DC, he grew up with 5 brothers and 3 sisters and can still see many of his family members’ homes from the balcony of his apartment.

In middle school, William had a paper route and would leave school during lunch time to quickly deliver the papers before getting back to classes. While living in DC, but working in Maryland, he would leave the house at 4:30 am, take two buses, and then walk over a mile to get to his job by 8 am. The commute was tough but he was happy to be employed. William finally landed a job at the Department of the Interior repairing, constructing, and delivering furniture to government offices in the area. During the seven years he worked there he did well until the day he was assaulted and robbed while heading home from work. A month and a half later, he woke up from a coma and eventually returned to work. But he no longer could remember important tasks or instructions he needed to do his job and had to retire.

Now, William gets a hot lunch Monday through Friday at one of Seabury’s 17 nutrition sites. This free lunch is his main meal of the day which, he explains, helps out financially as most of his income is from social security. William also enjoys the community atmosphere, as well as the trips, and access to information and services at the site. After years of hard work, Mr. Johnson finally can relax knowing that Seabury is there to help him when he needs it.

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Last year, Seabury Resources for Aging provided nearly 40,000 hours of health and nutrition services through its Ward 5 and Ward 6 Aging and Disability Resource Centers.