Animal FoodBank UK – Privacy Notice
1. Who We Are
Animal FoodBank UK is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), charity number 1208712, providing short-term emergency pet food support to people experiencing financial hardship across England, Scotland and Wales.
We are responsible for deciding how and why the personal information we collect is used. Under UK data protection legislation, this makes Animal FoodBank UK a data controller.
We are committed to respecting your privacy and handling your personal information lawfully, fairly and securely.
Website: www.animalfoodbankuk.com
Email: privacy@animalfoodbankuk.com
Last updated: 14 October 2026
2. What Personal Information We Collect
Animal FoodBank UK collects and processes personal information necessary to provide emergency pet food support and administer our charitable activities.
Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:
Personal details: Your name, address, postcode, email address and telephone number.
Household circumstances: Information you provide about financial hardship, changes in circumstances or your need for emergency assistance.
Pet information: Details of your pets, including their type, age, dietary requirements and relevant supporting information.
Application history: Previous requests for assistance, household reference numbers, decisions made and support provided.
Professional referrals: Information supplied by an authorised professional or organisation referring you for assistance.
Volunteer and trustee information: Contact details, application information and records necessary for administering charity activities.
Communications: Emails, application forms, enquiries, complaints and correspondence with our team.
Website information: Information collected through website analytics, cookies and other technologies, according to your privacy preferences.
Some applicants may voluntarily provide sensitive information about health, disability, domestic abuse or other personal circumstances. We aim to collect and use only information genuinely necessary to assess and arrange appropriate support.
3. How We Collect Personal Information
Animal FoodBank UK collects personal information in several ways, including:
Online application forms: When individuals complete our Google Forms to request emergency pet food assistance.
Email: When people contact us privately to request help, make enquiries or raise concerns.
Facebook: When people request assistance through our Facebook support group or contact our team through Facebook.
Professional referrals: When support workers, local authorities or other organisations refer someone for assistance.
Volunteering: When individuals apply to volunteer or provide information needed to carry out their role.
Donations and fundraising: When supporters provide information in connection with donations, fundraising activities or charity events.
Website interactions: When visitors use our website, subject to applicable cookie and privacy settings.
Information submitted through our Google Forms is stored in Google Forms and automatically transferred to linked Google Sheets used to administer applications and maintain household records.
Applicants are not required to join Facebook or publicly disclose their personal circumstances to request assistance. Private applications are available through our website and email application process.
4. How We Use Personal Information
Animal FoodBank UK uses personal information to carry out its charitable activities and provide emergency pet food support to people experiencing financial hardship.
We use information to:
Assess applications: Review requests for assistance and establish whether applicants meet our eligibility guidelines.
Arrange assistance: Contact applicants, coordinate volunteer deliveries, organise collections and arrange postal support through services such as InPost.
Maintain household records: Allocate household reference numbers, record previous assistance and identify returning applicants.
Prevent misuse: Identify duplicate applications, investigate potential misuse of our services and maintain records of households excluded from receiving further support.
Coordinate volunteers: Manage volunteer applications, contact volunteers and organise activities.
Administer the charity: Maintain appropriate records for charity management, accountability and operational planning.
Respond to enquiries and complaints: Handle communications, data protection requests and concerns raised with us.
Report our charitable impact: Produce statistics about applications, households supported, meals provided and other charitable activities.
Improve our website: Understand website usage and evaluate our advertising and outreach activities, subject to applicable cookie and privacy requirements.
Where possible, statistical reporting uses aggregated or anonymised information rather than identifying individual applicants.
We do not sell applicants' personal information or use their support applications for unrelated commercial marketing.
5. Our Lawful Basis for Using Personal Information
Animal FoodBank UK uses personal information where there is an appropriate lawful basis under UK data protection legislation.
Legitimate Interests – Article 6(1)(f)
We rely on legitimate interests where appropriate to:
Assess applications for emergency pet food assistance.
Understand applicants' overall financial circumstances.
Arrange food deliveries, collections and postal support.
Maintain necessary household and assistance records.
Identify returning applicants and prevent misuse of our services.
Coordinate volunteers and administer our charitable activities.
Handle enquiries and complaints.
Our legitimate interests include providing charitable assistance fairly, distributing donated resources responsibly and maintaining appropriate records.
We consider these interests alongside individuals' privacy rights and the need to minimise unnecessary information.
Legal Obligations – Article 6(1)(c)
We use or retain certain personal information where necessary to comply with applicable legal obligations, including relevant accounting, charity administration and data protection requirements.
Consent – Article 6(1)(a)
Where consent is required, such as for certain optional website cookies and tracking technologies, we seek the appropriate permission.
Sensitive Personal Information
AFBUK does not require medical diagnoses or detailed disability information to assess applications.
We assess financial hardship based on applicants' overall circumstances. Employment status and receipt of benefits do not automatically determine eligibility.
Applicants or referring professionals may voluntarily provide sensitive information when explaining their circumstances. Some benefit information may also reveal disability-related information.
We aim to minimise unnecessary sensitive information and ensure that any processing of special-category personal information meets the additional requirements of UK data protection legislation.
6. Who We Share Personal Information With
Animal FoodBank UK respects the confidentiality of people requesting assistance and limits the sharing of personal information to what is necessary for legitimate charitable purposes.
Depending on the circumstances, information may be shared with:
Authorised administrators and trustees: Where access is necessary to assess applications, manage support requests, handle complaints or administer the charity.
AFBUK volunteers: Where necessary to arrange food collections or deliveries. Volunteers should receive only the information needed to carry out their assigned tasks.
Delivery providers: Including InPost, where relevant information is required to arrange postal support.
Technology providers: Including Google, which provides systems used for application forms, email, spreadsheets and document storage, and IONOS, which hosts our website.
Professional referral organisations: Where appropriate and lawful, to coordinate support or respond to an existing referral.
Regulatory or public authorities: Where disclosure is required by law or otherwise legally justified.
We do not sell personal information or share applicants' details for unrelated commercial marketing.
Facebook and Public Posts
Applicants can request support without using Facebook.
Where individuals choose to post in our Facebook support group, information they publish may be visible to other group members.
Anonymous posting may hide a person's identity from ordinary group members, but administrators and moderators may still be able to identify the author.
We encourage applicants not to publish detailed financial, medical or other sensitive personal information in group posts.
Private application routes are available for anyone who prefers not to use Facebook.
7. How We Protect Personal Information
Animal FoodBank UK takes the security and confidentiality of personal information seriously.
We use appropriate organisational and technical measures to help protect information against unauthorised access, misuse, loss or disclosure.
These include:
Restricted access: Our Google Forms and Google Sheets administration systems are accessible only to authorised accounts.
Secure record-keeping: We use Google Workspace, Google Forms, Google Sheets and Google Drive to administer applications and maintain charity records.
Authorised administrators: Access is provided to individuals who need information to perform their responsibilities.
Limited sharing: Volunteers and delivery providers receive only the information necessary to arrange approved assistance.
Confidential complaints: Data protection complaints and requests are managed through a dedicated privacy email service with restricted access.
Access management: We review permissions and security arrangements as part of our ongoing data protection improvements.
We recognise that personal information requires careful handling, particularly where applicants provide details about difficult personal circumstances.
We continue to review our procedures to ensure information is handled appropriately and retained only where necessary.
For questions or concerns about the security of your personal information, please contact:
8. How Long We Keep Personal Information
Animal FoodBank UK keeps personal information only for as long as it is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or where continued retention is required or otherwise justified by law.
The length of time information is retained depends on its nature and purpose.
Applications and Household Records
We maintain necessary household information, reference numbers and previous assistance records to administer our support guidelines, recognise returning applicants and prevent misuse of our services.
Retention decisions take account of the date of the most recent application, previous assistance, operational requirements and whether the information remains necessary.
Sensitive Personal Information
We do not require detailed medical or disability information to assess applications.
Where applicants voluntarily provide sensitive information, we aim to remove unnecessary details when they are no longer required for a lawful purpose.
Excluded Households
Where a household has been excluded from receiving further support, we may retain limited identifying information where necessary and lawful to maintain and enforce that decision.
The continued retention of this information will be assessed for necessity, accuracy and proportionality.
Volunteer and Trustee Records
Personal information relating to volunteers and trustees is retained for as long as necessary for charity administration, applicable legal obligations and legitimate record-keeping purposes.
Complaints and Data Protection Requests
We may retain limited information about complaints and data protection requests to document how matters were handled and meet relevant legal or accountability requirements.
Historical Statistics
We maintain statistical information about applications, households supported, meals provided and other charitable activities.
Where possible, historical reporting information will be preserved in genuinely anonymised form without retaining unnecessary personal details.
Information that is no longer required will be securely deleted or anonymised, subject to applicable legal obligations.
9. Your Data Protection Rights
Under UK data protection legislation, you have certain rights concerning your personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, these may include:
Right to be informed: To understand how and why we use your personal information.
Right of access: To request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Right to rectification: To ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure: To request deletion of your personal information where applicable.
Right to restrict processing: To request that we limit how your information is used in certain circumstances.
Right to object: To object to certain uses of your personal information, including processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability: To receive certain personal information in a portable format where this right applies.
Rights relating to automated decisions: To receive appropriate protections where applicable automated decision-making is used.
These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal conditions or exceptions.
How to Exercise Your Rights
If you wish to make a data protection request or have concerns about how Animal FoodBank UK handles your personal information, please contact:
We will normally respond to requests within one calendar month, in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.
We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests.
You will not normally be charged for exercising your data protection rights.
10. Website Cookies and Analytics
Animal FoodBank UK uses cookies and similar technologies to support the operation of our website, understand how visitors use it and help us evaluate our online outreach.
Our website is hosted by IONOS and includes a cookie consent and privacy settings system.
Cookies and Website Services
Depending on the features used and your privacy preferences, our website may use:
Essential technologies: Required for the website to function correctly.
IONOS SiteAnalytics: To help us understand website traffic and performance.
Google Analytics: To provide information about website visits and how people interact with our website.
Google Ads: To measure the effectiveness of our advertising and outreach activities.
Other website services: Such as Google Maps and website translation features, where these are available and used.
Your Cookie Choices
When visiting our website, you can use the cookie consent banner to:
Accept optional technologies.
Reject optional technologies.
Configure your individual preferences.
You can also manage cookies through your browser settings.
We aim to respect your privacy choices and apply consent requirements in accordance with applicable UK law.
Further details about individual services are available through the website's Privacy Settings panel.
For questions about our use of cookies and website analytics, please contact:
11. Complaints and Concerns
Animal FoodBank UK takes concerns about the handling of personal information seriously.
If you have any concerns about how we collect, use, store or share your personal information, please contact us at:
We will review your concerns and respond as appropriate, in accordance with our obligations under UK data protection legislation.
Complaints to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.
Website: https://ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
We encourage you to contact us first so that we have an opportunity to address your concerns, but you are not required to obtain our permission before contacting the ICO.
12. Changes to This Privacy Notice
Animal FoodBank UK regularly reviews its privacy practices to ensure personal information continues to be handled appropriately and in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.
We may update this Privacy Notice to reflect changes to our services, technology, data protection requirements or charity operations.
Where significant changes affect how we use personal information, we will take appropriate steps to inform those affected.
The latest version of this notice will be available on our website.
Last updated: 14 October 2026
Next scheduled review: October 2027
Animal FoodBank UK
Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
Registered Charity Number: 1208712
Privacy enquiries: privacy@animalfoodbankuk.com
Website: www.animalfoodbankuk.com