Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

widows.care is a ministry connecting widows with church volunteers for practical assistance, operating in accordance with James 1:27: "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction."

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information when you use our services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, church affiliation
• Profile Information: Address (for widows), skills and availability (for helpers)
• Needs and Requests: Details about assistance needed or services offered
• Communications: Messages sent through our platform
• Background Check Data: For helpers only, processed securely through Stripe Identity

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, timestamps
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, IP address
• Location Data: General location for matching purposes (city/state level)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Connect widows with appropriate volunteer helpers
• Verify helper identities and background check status
• Enable churches to coordinate care for their congregations
• Send notifications about matches, requests, and important updates
• Ensure safety through visit tracking and check-in/out systems
• Improve our services and user experience
• Comply with legal obligations

4. Information Sharing

We share your information only in these circumstances:

4.1 With Matched Helpers/Widows

When a match is made, we share necessary contact information to coordinate assistance. Widow addresses are never shared until a helper is verified and a match is confirmed.

4.2 With Church Leadership

Pastors and designated church leaders can see members of their congregation who are registered on the platform, to provide oversight and coordinate care.

4.3 With Service Providers

• Stripe: For background check processing (helpers only)
• Cloudflare: For hosting and security
• 2SMTP: For email notifications

4.4 As Required by Law

We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of our users.

5. Your Rights (GDPR)

Under GDPR and similar laws, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate information
• Erasure: Request deletion of your account and data
• Portability: Export your data in a machine-readable format
• Restriction: Limit how we process your data
• Objection: Opt out of marketing communications

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@widows.care or use the settings in your account dashboard.

6. Data Security

We protect your data through:

• Encryption in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest
• Secure authentication systems
• Background check verification for all helpers
• Church leadership oversight
• Visit tracking with check-in/out logging
• Regular security audits

7. Data Retention

We retain your data according to these periods:

• Active accounts: Data retained while account is active
• Deleted accounts: 30-day grace period, then permanent deletion
• Financial records: 7 years (tax/legal requirements)
• Audit logs: 3 years (security)
• Visit records: 2 years (safety documentation)

8. Cookies

We use essential cookies for authentication and security. For more details, see our Cookie Policy.

9. Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for children under 18. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by email or through the platform.

11. Contact Us

For privacy inquiries or to exercise your rights: