Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels provides nutritious meals, social contact and other services for the homebound elderly, ill and disabled in eastern Washtenaw County, to enable them to enjoy healthier, safer, and more independent lives.

She’s been called Ash, Ashercat and Ashleigh O. But it wasn’t until she became a YMOW volunteer that Ashleigh Oliveira started answering to the nickname “My Little Chocolate Chip.”

“I have no idea where that came from,” Ashleigh said, but each Wednesday and Thursday when she approaches Paul’s home with his meals for the day, she can look forward to his affectionate greeting.

Ashleigh began volunteering with Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels in early summer 2018. In the year since delivering that first meal, she’s developed relationships and a deep understanding of those she serves.