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Privacy Policy

This policy has been updated on, and is valid as of February 19, 2026

Heart of the City Mission Foundation ("HOTC") respects your privacy and preferences. This privacy policy (the "Privacy Policy") sets forth the terms under which you share your personal data with HOTC, how HOTC collects and uses your data, and your rights with respect to understanding and modifying how it will be collected
I. How does this privacy policy apply to you?

GENERALLY:

This Privacy Policy applies to the personal data provided to HOTC when you make a donation, register for an event, sign up for a newsletter, purchase a product, or otherwise provide us with information via the HOTC website located at www.hotcfw.org. It also applies to personal data you may provide to HOTC via telephone, email, regular mail, social media, texting, mobile applications, at a special event, in response to a solicitation or face-to-face.

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MINORS:

It is HOTC's policy not to solicit knowingly any personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13. Children under 13 are not authorized to make a donation or purchase, sign up for an event or program, or otherwise provide any personally identifiable information without consent from a parent or legal guardian.

II. Why do we hold and process personal data?

HOTC may request from you, or you may volunteer to provide, your contact information, including your name, mailing address, phone number(s), social media handles and email address(es). We hold and process personal data for a number of reasons:

 

To keep a record of donations made and actions taken by our supporters and our communications with them. To send our supporters marketing information about our projects, fundraising activities and appeals where we have their consent or otherwise permitted to do so.

 

If you make a donation to HOTC or otherwise provide us your information, HOTC may contact you from time to time about opportunities to make additional donations or to provide you information about upcoming programs.

 

We may also analyze your personal information to create a record of your interests and preferences. This allows us to ensure communications are relevant and timely, to contact you in the most appropriate and relevant way and in general provide you with an improved user experience. It also helps us to understand the background of our supporters and program participants so that we can make appropriate requests for support, enabling us to raise funds and help beneficiaries sooner and more cost-effectively.

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III. When will we send you personalized marketing communications?

HOTC will contact you for marketing purposes- for example, to keep you up to date on our work, or let you know you can support that work-only where we have your consent or we are otherwise allowed to do so because of your prior engagement with HOTC, as explained further below (see 'Our Reliance on Your Prior Support')

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If you are a program participant we may also contact you regarding updated program information or further opportunities to receive resources offered by HOTC.

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DURATION:

Your ongoing consent is presumed unless you inform us that you wish to be removed from our contact list.

 

OUR RELIANCE ON YOUR PRIOR SUPPORT:

You may also receive marketing information from HOTC if you have previously made a similar donation to HOTC. Supporters and participants of HOTC may opt out of receiving communication at any time.
 

IV. How and when do we obtain information about you?

HOTC may obtain your personal data in the following circumstances:

A. WHEN YOU PROVIDE IT TO HOTC

We will obtain your personal data directly when you make a donation, sign up for one of our events, or communicate with us directly in some other way whether by contact forms, social media or telephone.
 

B. WHEN YOU GIVE IT TO HOTC INDIRECTLY

We will obtain your personal data when you communicate to your employer or to a retail partner of HOTC during your point of purchase that you affirmatively designate HOTC to receive a personal contribution from you.

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Your personal data may be collected by an organization working on HOTC's behalf (for example, a professional fundraising agency). In such cases, the agency is acting on our behalf, and we are the "data controller" responsible for the security and proper processing of your data, just as if you had given it directly to HOTC

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C. WHEN YOU ACCESS HOTC'S SPONSORED SOCIAL MEDIA

HOTC may also obtain your personal data through your use of social media such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or LinkedIn, depending on your settings or the privacy policies of these social media and messaging services. To change your settings on these services, please refer to their privacy notices.

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D. WHEN THE INFORMATION IS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE

HOTC may also obtain personal data about individuals who may be interested in donations or program participation. In these cases, we may seek to find out more about these individuals' interests and motivations for giving through publicly available information. The information sources may include newspaper or other media coverage, open postings on social media and services that aggregate data on charitable giving

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E. WHEN WE USE COOKIES

Cookies are a useful way for us to understand how supporters and participants use HOTC's website. When you visit our website, we will use cookies to collect data from your computer or other device. Cookies are created by your web browser when you visit our website. Each time a user returns to a website, the browser will send the cookie file back to the website's server. They improve the user experience by preserving your preference settings and measuring your use of the website. Cookies can also be used to show you relevant HOTC content on social media services.

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The HOTC website may contain hyperlinks to websites owned and operated by other organizations, including private sector partners, other NGOs and partner agencies. These third-party websites have their own privacy policies, including policies on the use of cookies, which would apply to the use of personal information you may submit or which is collected by cookies while visiting those sites. HOTC cannot accept responsibility for the privacy practices of such third-party websites, and we recommend therefore that you familiarize yourself with these policies.

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V. WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION MAY BE COLLECTED BY HOTC?

HOTC will only collect personal data about you that is relevant to the type of transaction, project or program you have engaged in with HOTC.

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HOTC may receive and retain your personal information when you contact HOTC to make a monetary or physical donation, to inquire about volunteer opportunities or to request services and resources provided by HOTC. Data such as your name, email, postal address, or telephone number will be necessary to both execute these transactions as well as enable us to contact you for further engagement. Bank account or credit card details will be necessary to process any donations whether provided by physical payment or use of our third-party donation apps.

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CREDIT CARD AND BILLING INFORMATION

In addition to your contact information, when you make a donation HOTC will ask for your billing address and credit card information or other financial service information. HOTC uses a third-party banking agent to process your donation via a secured socket layer connection (TLS 1.2 or higher for encryption) to a secured server that verifies your credit card/bank information. A unique tracking number is provided which cannot be decrypted to obtain the payment card information and is used to track the transaction for our record.

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Sensitive Personal Data: We do not collect your sensitive personal data information unless there is a clear reason for doing so- such as your participation in a sponsored physical event- and only to the extent such data is required to ensure that we provide appropriate facilities or support to enable you to participate in the event or avoid injury.

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All sensitive personal data is stored on a password-protected system to which only a limited number of relevant HOTC staff have access. It is deleted when no longer needed and  is never shared with third parties

VI. HOW WILL HOTC USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

HOTC will use your personal information for the following purposes

  • For administrative reasons, including:​​

    • "Service administration", HOTC may contact you for reasons related to administering any donations you have made, the completion of commercial or other transactions or the activity or online consent you have signed up for​

    • To engage in communication for those requesting program services and resources such as The Food Rescue Program, Operation Bicycle, The Laundry Services, The Food Pantry & Provisions or other future programs

    • To confirm receipt of donations, and provide details of how your donation might be used

    • In relation to correspondence you have entered into with HOTC whether by letter, email, text, social media, other by any other means, and contact you about any content you provide

    • For internal record keeping to maintain accurate records of your relationship with HOTC

    • To complete transactions you have entered into with HOTC

    • To implement any instructions you give to HOTC with regard to withdrawing consent to send marketing information

    • To use IP addresses to identify location of users, to block disruptive use, and to establish the number of visits from different countries​

VII. HOW LONG WILL HOTC KEEP YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

HOTC will not share your information outside of the HOTC foundation.

HOTC will hold your personal information on our contact lists only for as long as you continue to provide your consent. Your ongoing consent is presumed unless you HOTC you wish to be removed from our communication list. 

VIII. HOW HOTC KEEPS YOUR DATA SAFE

HOTC ensures there are appropriate technical controls in place to protect your personal details. For example, our online forms that ask for personal information are stored on networks that are password-protected and routinely monitored. 

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

To the fullest extent permissible by applicable law, in no event will HOTC or its present or future affiliates, be liable for any personal injury, property damage, lost profits, loss of data, goodwill, work stoppage, computer and/or device or technology failure or malfunction or for any form of direct or indirect, special, incidental, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages based on any causes of action arising out of any alleged failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect or delay in service, operation or transmission of the Website or any alleged computer virus, communication line failure, theft or destruction of property and/or unauthorized access to, alteration of, or use of or posting of any record, content or technology, pertaining to or on the Website. You agree that this limitation of liability applies whether such allegations are for breach of contract, tortious behavior, negligence, or fall under any other cause of action, regardless of the basis upon which liability is claimed and even if HOTC has been advised of the possibility of such loss or damage. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you also specifically acknowledge that HOTC and/or its present or future affiliates are not liable for any actual or alleged defamatory, offensive or illegal conduct of other users of the Website or any other third parties.

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If applicable law does not allow all or any part of the above limitation of liability to apply to you, the limitations will apply to you only to the extent permitted by applicable law.

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