who it’s for
For older adults who need one thing, not a program
Most of the time the ask is small: the lid, the snow behind the car, the box that is heavier than it looks.
Short answer
Help Me connects older adults in Fargo–Moorhead with approved neighbors for small, everyday, non-emergency tasks — a hand with something heavy, a walk across an icy lot, a jump start. It is not home care, not medical help, and not a companion service. Aging and disability services, home care agencies, and 211 handle those.
The facts, in one place
- Small, one-visit tasks only — not ongoing care.
- No medical, personal care, or medication help of any kind.
- Meeting in public is the default; help at a door is your call.
- 211 connects to aging, disability, and in-home service programs.
What fits
Clearing the berm the plow left behind a car. Carrying something up a step. A jump start in a lot. Someone walking beside you across a February parking lot where the ice is invisible. These are the requests that go well, and they end in ten minutes.
What does not, and where to go instead
Anything medical, anything involving medication, bathing, transfers, or ongoing daily support belongs to licensed home care and to county aging services. 211 is the front door for both North Dakota and Minnesota programs. A neighbor with an app is not a caregiver and should never be treated as one.
- 211 for aging services, home-delivered meals, and referral
- 911 for a fall with injury, chest pain, or confusion
- Licensed home care for personal or medical support
- Help Me for the small, finishable, one-time thing
A word about who shows up
Helpers submit identity evidence and a staff member reviews it before they can accept anything. That is a real gate. It is not a criminal background check and we will not describe it as one, so meet in a public place when you can and involve a family member if that makes it easier.
Questions people actually ask
Can someone drive me to an appointment?
No. Help Me is not a rideshare or a medical transport service. MATBUS, paratransit programs, and 211 referrals cover that.
Is there a cost?
No. There is no payment, no tipping, and no fee anywhere in the app.
Keep going
trust
Safety, said plainly
Approximate location, approved helpers only, private chat, public meeting places, and report/block tools. Help Me is not 911.
answer
Are Helpers background checked?
No. Helpers submit identity evidence that staff review before approval. That is an identity check, not a criminal background check, and Help Me does not claim otherwise.
211
211 in North Dakota — FirstLink
Dial 211 in North Dakota for food, shelter, heat, and referrals. FirstLink answers 211 at myfirstlink.org or 701-235-7335. Not Help Me.
winter
Snow help, which is not a plow
Shovel a walk, brush off a car, a little extra snow help from a Fargo–Moorhead neighbor. Not a plow service, not the city, not 911.
hands
Heavy lifting, the neighbor with gloves
A sofa that will not turn the stair, a dresser, a campus mini-fridge in Fargo. Ask a neighbor. Not movers, and not a paid crew.
answer
What should I not ask for?
No emergencies, no paid work, no licensed trades, no rides for hire, no medical or legal advice, and nothing that asks a stranger into a private space alone.
Help Me is a community app for adults in Fargo–Moorhead. It is not a K–12 student program, not a youth chat, and not campus police.