AMHERST — Scarcity of appointments for COVID-19 vaccines in early 2021 and technological challenges for senior citizens prompted Amherst Senior Center staff to get up at midnight or 3 a.m. as slots opened up, ensuring local seniors could get their shots as soon as possible.

“To get them to clinics, we would book vaccine appointments in the middle of the night,” says Helen MacMellon, the senior center’s social worker and program manager, reflecting on many sleepless nights for her, former Senior Center Director Mary Beth Ogulewicz and then-administrative assistant Jennifer Reynolds.

By that April, they and others, called “vax angels,” had made more than 1,200 vaccine appointments for Amherst seniors.

As MacMellon completes her 12th year at the Amherst Council on Aging, dividing her time as a social worker and a program manager, she is retiring.

Though MacMellon expects to remain in the field and continue serving senior citizens — as she has for the past 32 years, starting out in the home care field in the Boston area and then throughout the Pioneer Valley — she is taking a step back, even as she continues to enjoy interacting with people.

“You never know about who will come in and what their problem is,” MacMellon said. “It’s never boring.”

When state Rep. Mindy Domb was executive director of the Amherst Survival Center, she got to know MacMellon. “She’s really a magician who knows how to do social work,” Domb said at a recent going away party for MacMellon.

She recounted MacMellon’s use of a “magic wand” to get an apartment for a homeless veteran living in the woods in Pelham.

Those who have worked alongside MacMellon also praise her.

Diana Wheeler, the senior center’s administrative assistant, said her anxiety was eased by her. “She’s really been a genuine soul and a wonderful person to me,” Wheeler said.

“I’m going to miss her,” said Debora Bridges, who curates the Civil War tablets exhibit and got assistance from MacMellon when she returned to her hometown a few years ago. “She helps so many people.”

Senior Center Director Hayley Bolton said MacMellon is an incredible asset to the center, helping to steer its operations during COVID-19.

“We’re all sad to see her go but wishing her a very happy and well-deserved retirement,” Bolton said. “Her dedication to serving older adults is palpable. She has an incredible talent for communication. We have a running joke at the center that Helen can transcend any language barrier.”

Ogulewicz described MacMellon’s skills as helping people age with dignity, having a deep knowledge of culture and resources and a nuanced ability to understand when and how to support someone as their needs change.

“The measure of a person is often how they show up when no one is around and circumstances are dire,” Ogulewicz said. “What I can say is Helen is a tribute to the field of senior services and could be seen delivering boxes of food and hot meals when residents most needed help and would meet with them outdoors to check in on them.”

MacMellon, 72, came to Amherst with her husband, Alan Rubin, a longtime public defender from the Boston area. Both fell in love with the region, she said, for its natural beauty and lower cost of living. MacMellon began working in Amherst in 2012, hired by then-director Nancy Pagano in a part-time role assisting Program Director Maura Plante, after previously working for the Easthampton Council on Aging.

She also worked for programs administered by WestMass ElderCare in Holyoke. One of her favorite memories was in the mid-1990s partnering with Jeff Harness, Cooley Dickinon Hosptial’s chief community relations and communications officer, on the Prostate Cancer Awareness Program put together by a Department of Public Health grant. With WestMass ElderCare, Highland Valley Elder Services in Northampton and Greater Springfield Senior Services, a speakers bureau was formed and she would meet with a variety of people, including Black families in Springfield, Latino families in Holyoke and rural families in Plainfield.

“It was great working with different cultures and communities,” MacMellon said.

MacMellon also handled “Aging Across the Spectrum” through a Highland Valley grant, which included a caregivers support group, a grief support group and an LGBTQ social club. The caregivers support group featured a library of materials for those caring for aging loved ones and a paid masseuse to help them relieve stress.

Much of her work helps people to access benefits and ensure they don’t lose MassHealth. She’s also helped folks downsize from large homes to small apartments. The pandemic has changed some of her responsibilities, as the evening Meals on Wheels delivery to shut-ins ended.

MacMellon also spent six months as the acting director following the departure of Ogulewicz in August 2021. While demands are still there, there is less lingering and socializing in the building after classes and programs, which may contribute to a feeling of isolation. “A lot of work post-pandemic is with vulnerable people, but a lot more of the work is done over the phone,” MacMellon said.

MacMellon said she hopes the Senior Center can find someone to replace her, though licensed social workers are in high demand. Still, she is confident that seniors needs will continue to be met, possibly with referrals to Highland Valley.

As she plans to continue doing some work, MacMellon said in retirement she will have a better balance between work and play, and more free time, including joining a Wednesday morning hiking club.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.