Your privacy matters to us, especially because applying for meals may involve sharing sensitive personal and health-related information. This policy explains what we collect, why, and how we protect it.
1. Overview
This Privacy Policy explains how Harvest Roots (“we,” “us,” “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information gathered through www.harvestrootsny.com (the “Site”) and our meal-application process. It applies to applicants, current clients, family members or caregivers applying on someone’s behalf, and referring case managers or partner organizations.
2. Information we collect
We collect information in the following ways:
Information you give us directly
- Contact details — name, phone number, email address, delivery address;
- Household information — who you’re applying for, number of people in your household;
- Eligibility information — details relevant to the category you qualify under (see “Sensitive information” below);
- Dietary needs, allergies, or preferences you choose to share so we can accommodate them;
- Any information you include in messages, emails, or phone calls to our team.
Information collected automatically
- Standard technical data such as browser type, device type, and general usage patterns when you visit the Site, typically through basic analytics tools.
3. Sensitive information
Our eligibility criteria mean your application may involve information about pregnancy or postpartum status, mental health conditions, chronic disease, homelessness, institutional care history, or enrollment in a NYS Health Home. We treat this as sensitive personal information and limit its use strictly to confirming your eligibility and coordinating your meal service. It is not used for marketing, sold, or shared beyond what is described in this policy.
Our online application runs on a form platform configured for HIPAA-compliant handling of health-related information. This helps protect the confidentiality of what you share with us during the application process. That said, Harvest Roots is a food-assistance nonprofit, not a healthcare provider or health plan, and this Site does not create a doctor-patient or other clinical relationship.
4. How we use your information
We use the information we collect to:
- Determine whether you or the person you’re applying for qualifies for the Program;
- Set up, schedule, and coordinate meal deliveries;
- Accommodate disclosed dietary needs or allergies where possible;
- Communicate with you about your application or ongoing service;
- Maintain basic records needed to operate and improve the Program;
- Comply with legal, funding, or grant-reporting obligations, where applicable.
We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not sell personal information to third parties.
5. When we share information
We only share personal information where necessary to operate the Program:
- Delivery & logistics — with staff, volunteers, or delivery partners who need your address and delivery details to get meals to you;
- Referring partners — if a case manager, care coordinator, or organization referred you, we may share application status and delivery updates back with them to coordinate your care;
- Service providers — with vendors who help us operate, such as our form and hosting providers, under confidentiality obligations;
- Legal requirements — where required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of a client or the public;
- With your consent — in any other case where you’ve explicitly agreed to a specific disclosure.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
6. How we protect your information
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the information you share with us, including relying on a form platform configured for HIPAA-compliant handling of sensitive submissions and limiting internal access to what each team member needs to do their job. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
7. How long we keep it
We retain application and client information for as long as needed to provide the Program, maintain accurate records, and meet any legal, accounting, or grant-reporting requirements, after which it is securely deleted or de-identified.
Placeholder: insert your organization’s specific retention schedule here once defined (e.g., “records are retained for [X] years after a client’s last delivery”).
8. Your choices & rights
You can:
- Ask us what personal information we hold about you and request a copy;
- Ask us to correct inaccurate information;
- Ask us to delete your information, subject to any legal or operational reasons we may need to retain certain records;
- Withdraw from the Program at any time by contacting us — this will stop future deliveries and communications.
To exercise any of these choices, contact us using the details in Section 13.
9. Cookies & website analytics
The Site may use basic cookies or similar technologies to understand general visitor traffic and improve the browsing experience. These do not include sensitive health or eligibility information, which is collected only through the secure application form, not general Site browsing.
10. Children’s privacy
The Site is intended for use by adults applying for themselves, a household, or someone in their care. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13. Information about a minor may be included only as part of a parent’s or guardian’s household application.
11. Third-party links
Our Site links to third-party services, including our JotForm application and our Instagram page. Those platforms have their own privacy practices, and we encourage you to review them — this Policy applies only to information collected directly by Harvest Roots.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows the most recent revision. We encourage you to review this page occasionally.
13. Contact us
To ask a question, make a request, or raise a privacy concern, contact us at harvestrootsny@gmail.com or (845) 604-9607.