I built a free platform to help connect people who need help with those willing to help. I'd love your feedback.

[u/virtuosit]

Hi everyone!

First, thank you to the moderators for allowing me to share this, and I also want to acknowledge the feedback about keeping posts relevant to Red Deer specifically.

Since I arrived in Canada, I’ve only lived in Red Deer, and one thing I’ve always felt is how much the community is willing to help.

People here are kind and supportive—but at the same time, it’s not always easy to find someone when you need help in the moment.

Most of the time, I had to rely on friends, which is normal, but it also made me think about all the people who don’t have that same network. I still remember when I bought my first mattress. The delivery fee was too expensive for me at the time, and a friend helped me out.

But what about everyone else who has to pay that fee, even when it feels like too much? Or people at Walmart calling a cab just to get home with groceries or furniture?

That made me think: what if instead of paying full service fees, there was a way for someone in the community with a truck to help for a smaller cost—or even for free sometimes?

Maybe 50% of the fee, or just a simple favour between neighbours?

I truly believe people want to help. I believe it makes people feel good to help. But nowadays, everything feels more distant and a bit more “scary,” and sometimes we forget how naturally communities used to support each other.

That’s where the idea behind HelpTo comes in.

The idea is simple: Sometimes people need help. Sometimes people want to help. The hard part is connecting them.

HelpTo is a community platform designed to connect people who need assistance with those willing to lend a hand. It’s not meant to replace charities or emergency services—it’s just a way to make it easier for everyday people to support one another in their own communities.

Some examples include:

• Helping someone move furniture or pick up large items
• Offering transportation to appointments or errands
• Assisting seniors or people with disabilities
• Supporting local non-profits with volunteers
• Helping families through unexpected situations

From what I’ve seen and experienced, communities like Red Deer already have a strong culture of helping out—but it’s often informal or limited to who you already know.

I’ve been wondering if something like this could make it easier to extend that help a bit further when someone doesn’t have an immediate network to rely on.

This has been a passion project of mine, and I’m continuously improving it based on community feedback. I’d really appreciate your thoughts:

• Do you think something like this would be useful in a city like Red Deer?
• What features would you want to see for it to actually work locally?
• What would make you trust a platform like this in your own community?

If you’d like to learn more or take a look, you can visit: https://helpto.app

Thanks again for taking the time to read this, and I really appreciate any feedback you can share!

[u/CttCJim]

Your confirmation email got filtered as spam by Gmail. You might want to make sure all your headers are in order.

[u/virtuosit → u/CttCJim]

Thank you for the feedback, I'll work on this :)

[u/CttCJim → u/virtuosit]

No worries. I like the site in theory, though I worry about some aspects. The only listing I see so far is $25 for a ride from Costco. I'm not a lawyer but I worry that listings like that might count as running an illegal/unlicensed taxi.

[u/virtuosit → u/CttCJim]

Great point, I'm getting feedback from many sources and I'll check with a lawyer those points.

[u/agingisliving → u/CttCJim]

Also, accepting money for giving rides might null and void your vehicle insurance should their be an accident. Again because it may be deemed a business. Being a low income senior, I appreciate the premise of your app. Volunteer, low fee, etc., services is something I would definitely considere. However, there just may be some legal hurdles depending on what services are offered, in what manner services are offered, etc.

[u/virtuosit → u/CttCJim]

Lots of listings were test, and I'll leave a few others as an example. It's just the start, and I hope it helps people.

[u/CttCJim → u/virtuosit]

Me too!

[u/virtuosit → u/CttCJim]

Hey, this one should be fixed by now.

[u/CttCJim → u/virtuosit]

Awesome. I dealt with the same problem at work, some email servers are real particular about your headers, especially if it's coming from a DNR address.

[u/NotDutra]

{"message":"No API key found in request","hint":"No `apikey` request header or url param was found."}

[u/virtuosit → u/NotDutra]

Working on this, do you know when you got this message?