The Idea
Fair Shares was created in 2007 by sisters Sara Hale and Jamie Choler. They shared a CSA from Biver Farms for two summers, enjoying the surprise of the weekly delivery, and learning to identify and cook a few "new" veggies. Each week they picked up their share at the Maplewood Farmers' Market and supplemented the bag of produce with meat, eggs and other items from the market. That got them thinking and talking about the combined CSA, and everyone they spoke to said "Sign me up!" Since most of the local farms running CSAs were sold out in advance and had long waiting lists, it seemed like there was a potential market.

Because Sara and Jamie believe eating healthy food should be a universal right, not an elite privilege, they knew they also wanted to help get this food to lower-income families in the St. Louis area. Fair Shares was organized as a nonprofit in the hopes of finding grants and holding fundraisers to help them reach their goal of making local, seasonal foods more accessible to all.

The People
Sara is an artist/graphic designer, former brewer, Slow Food St. Louis co-leader, and an advocate for local and sustainable "real food." Her commitment is to educating consumers about the importance of eating "real" food, knowing where your food comes from, and to making sure that farmers are not just recognized, but venerated. Sara loves to cook and hopes to inspire others to get excited about making delicious food and being able to tell everyone where each ingredient was raised, grown or processed, i.e. knowing who else touched it besides you.

Jamie is a baker and a certified recreational therapist who has worked with many different populations over the years. Her most recent work with low-income frail elderly has shown her how lack of a healthy diet is directly related to disease and illness, and how so many families in St. Louis don't get enough access to healthy, fresh foods. Jamie is also involved with Slow Food St. Louis and is committed to social justice.

Sara and Jamie also have a bath and body care business called It's All About You (http://www.itsallaboutyoubaby.com), which offers therapy for their creativity, as well as for the skin. They both love to cook and eat together with family and friends and do so often because that's therapy for the soul, as well as for the stomach.