I think Hay Day should have a feature similar to what Tom does, only you don't have to use diamonds for it. Not sure what you would use for payment, but I feel HD should have a sort of reverse roadside stand. Where you can enter one item you need, in any quantity, and other players could help you out. But they should be able to contribute as much or as little as they want, not necessarily how much of the item you want/need. And it should be once every day you can do it.
For example, say I need 7 marker sticks to expand my farm. I can put in the reverse farm stand that I need 7, and players can contribute anywhere from one marker to 7, or more if they feel like it. And I think also it should be advertised in the paper like when someone needs help loading their river boat or they need a tree revived. That would be a massive help.
Plus, I think it should be something to work toward, once you got a certain level like 30, or something.