how-to
Guides for the days that stall
These are not essays about community. They are the steps: how to ask, how to help, how to meet in public, and when to put the phone down and call 911.
Read the one that matches the hour you are in
A jump start at West Acres is not the same problem as a first week at NDSU. A dead battery in January is not a crisis, and a crisis is not a neighbor with jumper cables. Pick the guide for the actual situation.
Every page here describes the iPhone app as it ships: TestFlight, iOS 15 or later, approved helpers only, a coarse area on the map, private chat after someone accepts. Nothing is a paid gig. Nothing dispatches police.
What these guides will not do
They will not invent a background check we do not run. They will not tell you to handle an emergency in the app. They will not pretend Cass County services work in Clay County if you copy-paste a number across the river.
- Product how-tos: ask, help, report, delete, location
- Place how-tos: Fargo, West Fargo, downtown at night, winter
- Campus how-tos: NDSU, MSUM, Concordia, M State, move-in
In this section
How to ask for help without an audience
Post a sentence, not a performance. How to request everyday, non-emergency help in Fargo–Moorhead from approved helpers nearby.
How to become a helper
Apply in the app, submit identity evidence, wait on a staff decision. Current approval is required before you can help in Fargo–Moorhead.
How to stay safe while asking for a hand
Meet in public, keep exact location off until you consent, and use report and block. Help Me is not 911 — call official help first if you are in danger.
How to get a jump start in Fargo without a group-chat debate
Dead battery in a Fargo lot? Ask an approved helper, meet in public, and know when you need a shop or tow instead of a neighbor.
Winter help, before the wind chill becomes the story
How to ask for everyday winter help in Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo — jump starts, walks to the car, and when cold becomes an emergency.
New to Fargo, on purpose
Moving to Fargo, Moorhead, or West Fargo? Two states, four campuses, winter, and how Help Me fits a city you do not know yet.
New to NDSU, without pretending you already know 19th Avenue
New to North Dakota State University? Campus police, Memorial Union, official events, and how Help Me fits a first semester in Fargo.
New to MSUM, on the Minnesota side
New to Minnesota State University Moorhead? Public Safety, Minnesota services, campus events, and everyday help across the river from Fargo.
New to Concordia, small campus, real city
New to Concordia College in Moorhead? Public Safety, SAFEWalk, Knutson Campus Center, and how Help Me fits a smaller campus next to MSUM.
New to M State, Moorhead campus
Starting at Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Moorhead? Campus logistics, Clay County services, and everyday non-emergency help.
How to read Fargo–Moorhead campus events without a fifth app
NDSU, MSUM, Concordia, M State, West Fargo, and Ticketmaster Fargo calendars in Help Me — always attributed, never invented.
Student safety, with the official numbers on top
Campus police first, 911 for danger, neighbors second. A practical safety guide for NDSU, MSUM, Concordia, and M State students.
Downtown Fargo at night, without making the alley the meeting place
Broadway after dark: public meeting places, walks to the ramp, and when to call Fargo Police instead of asking a neighbor.
How location works — and how it does not
Help Me shows a coarse ~500 m area, not a pin on you. Exact location is shared only after a helper accepts and you consent.
How to delete your account
Delete your Help Me account yourself from Account in the iPhone app by typing DELETE. No ticket required. Support is support@helpme.fyi.
Meet in public. That is the whole rule.
Public meeting places for Help Me in Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo: unions, libraries, grocery vestibules, malls, and lit lots — not home pins.
NDSU move-in weekend, without turning the hallway into a gig board
NDSU move-in: heavy boxes, public meeting spots, campus police, and why Help Me is a neighbor — not housing staff or a moving company.
First week at MSUM, Minnesota numbers included
A first-week how-to for Minnesota State University Moorhead: Public Safety, buildings, the river, and everyday help that is not an emergency.
West Fargo help, as its own city
How Help Me works in West Fargo: neighbor help, the official city calendar, Sheyenne Street geography, and West Fargo Police — not Fargo as an afterthought.
How to report or block — without writing an essay
Report or block anyone, any time in Help Me. Safety actions sit in every request. Staff can act on reports. Call 911 first if you are in danger.
How to jump start a car without wrecking either one
The correct cable order, what not to touch, and what to do when a battery is frozen. A step-by-step jump start guide for Fargo–Moorhead cold.
The winter kit, ranked by how badly you will want it
The winter car kit that actually matters in North Dakota and Minnesota: jump pack, scraper, real gloves, blanket, and the things people forget until minus twenty.
How to choose where to meet a stranger
Lit, public, populated, and easy to describe. How to choose where to meet someone you do not know in Fargo, Moorhead, or West Fargo.
How to help someone who is stuck
What to do — and what not to do — when you see someone stuck. Lot versus highway, cold-weather risk, and when the right help is a phone call.
Digging out without hurting yourself
Berms, buried cars, and the shovel injuries nobody plans for. How to dig out safely and what a neighbor can reasonably help with.
How to actually ride MATBUS
Getting around Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead on MATBUS: how routes work, what to check before you go, and winter stop realities.
Your car will not start. Now what?
How to tell a dead battery from something worse, what to try in order, and when to stop trying and call a tow in Fargo–Moorhead.
Moving out without losing your deposit
May move-out in the metro: notice, cleaning, deposits, donation instead of dumpsters, and the two-states problem for tenant rules.
How to be the person people are glad showed up
Show up when you say you will, meet in public, keep it short, and know when to decline. What good looks like for approved Helpers in Fargo–Moorhead.
For people who would rather walk home in the cold
For people who would rather freeze than post. Why asking is smaller than it feels, and how to make the request in one sentence without explaining yourself.
Questions people actually ask
Is a guide the same as asking for help?
No. Guides explain. Live requests only exist in the iPhone app, and only approved helpers can accept them.
Do I need the app to read these?
No. Read them on the web. Create a request from the app when you actually need a neighbor.
Keep going
product
How Help Me works
Ask in a sentence. Approved helpers nearby see it. One accepts. You chat privately and meet in public. Four steps — that is the entire ask.
trust
Safety, said plainly
Approximate location, approved helpers only, private chat, public meeting places, and report/block tools. Help Me is not 911.
resources
Official help, listed on purpose
Police, 911, 211, campus safety, food, shelter, and county services in Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo. Help Me is not these pages.
lists
Lists for a metro that actually exists
Local lists for Fargo–Moorhead: things to do, campuses, study spots, winter survival, public meeting places, and where cars die in January.
directory
Everything Help Me covers in Fargo–Moorhead
The full map of Help Me: cities, campuses, high schools, help topics, glossary, comparisons, guides, and local resources across Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo.
safety
Help Me is not 911
Help Me is for everyday, non-emergency help in Fargo–Moorhead. If you are in danger, call 911. Here is how to tell the difference.
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.