Welcome to Fair Shares!
Below is some common information for new members. For more detailed info, check out our FAQ page.
Communication
- Read the weekly newsletter! We communicate with members via the weekly newsletter. Don’t miss a pickup or show up on an off week because you have not read about a schedule change or planned week off. We post pertinent information at the beginning of the newsletter, so please make sure to keep yourself informed.
- Make sure all important information is communicated to whomever is actually going to the site to pick up the food.
- Include your account name. Tell us the member name and pickup group, and whether you are an EVEN or ODD week half-share member when you email us. We haven’t memorized everyone in every pickup site and group by their email address, so help us out, please.
- Join our Facebook Group, like our Facebook Page, and follow us on Twitter @fairsharesccsa and Instagram to be part of the active community of Fair Shares members. We share recipes, cooking suggestions, tips, ideas, and support. Take advantage of it.
Annual Schedule
- Season Start: Each new season begins the first week of April. Although membership can begin at any time throughout the year, we keep track of each 48-week season, and this gives us the ODD versus EVEN week numbers by which we designate half-share member pickups.
- September Sanity or October Ohm Break: We take a week off at the end of September or beginning of October and put your account on hold for the week. If we had a break already because of 4th of July faling mid-week, we may cancel this fall break.
- Thanksgiving Week: We do pickups the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Please pay attention to your newsletter for your pickup day and time.
- December Break: Depending on which days the Christmas and New Year’s holidays fall, we take the week between Christmas and New Year’s off and put your account on hold for the week (we make sure to have one of our breaks fall on an odd week, and the other on an even week, so our half-share members all get to experience the break!).
- March Break: We take off most of the month of March and resume with the next season the last week of March or first week of April. We offer a shopping day in March for members to come stock up.
- Holidays: If another major holiday, like 4th of July, falls in the middle of the week, we may take that week off. We will post this info in the newsletter.
Pickup Groups and Shares
We divide our membership into smaller groups within each of the pickup sites. This allows us to create several menus for a weekly rotation so all of the pickup groups get to try everything without getting the same food each week. Read the newsletter to see what you might get in coming weeks (details below).
This rotation allows smaller farms and artisans the opportunity to participate in the CSA because they don’t need to provide mass quantities all at once. It also gives us great diversity in the shares.
We try to keep all the non-produce items consistent in the food lists for a rotation, then switch up the items once all the groups have tried them.
ODD versus EVEN week half shares: Because our half shares pick up on alternating weeks, it’s important to know whether you are an ODD or EVEN week half-share member. The ODD members pick up on the odd weeks of our 48-week season, Weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. and the EVEN members pick up on the even weeks of our season, Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, etc.
Pay attention to the newsletter so you know when we’re going to have a break, and you can reference the week number that is ALWAYS listed at the top and in the subject of each newsletter. Half-share members can easily refer to it to see whether it is their week for a pickup.
Pickup Sites
Our Wednesday pickup groups (FSA, FSB, FSC, FSM-W, UCA, UCB, UCM) are at the following pickup sites:
- Fair Shares Mothership (our main distribution site) – 5021 Northrup, off Kingshighway, one block north of I-44 in the city, 3:30-7:00 p.m. Park in the lot and come in. Give us your name and pickup group; we’ll fetch your bags, and it’s your responsibility to make sure we give you the proper bag with your name on it and check to see everything is there.
- U City – Trinity Presbyterian Church, 6800 Washington Ave. at Kingsland, 4:30-6:00. Park on the street and come in the entrance under the bell tower. Give us your name and pickup group; we’ll fetch your bags, and it’s your responsibility to make sure we give you the proper bag with your name on it and check to see everything is there.
Our Thursday pickup groups (FSD, FSE, FSM-T, KWA, KWB, KWM) are at the following pickup sites:
- Fair Shares (see above) – 3:30-7:00 p.m.
- Kirkwood – Kirkwood United Methodist Church Lot, 201 West Adams – 1:00-2:30p.m. Park in the lot. Give us your name and pickup group; we’ll fetch your bags, and it’s your responsibility to make sure we give you the proper bag with your name on it and check to see everything is there. Remaining bags will be brought back to the Mothership unless you contact us by 9a.m. to arrange a different pickup option.
What happens if I can’t make a pickup?
– If we do not hear from you within 24 hours of missing your share, we’ll donate it. If you contact us within 24 hours, we will give you alternate hours on Friday or Monday that you can pick up your share.
– If you miss your pickup and need to reschedule, you must come to the main Fair Shares site (aka the Mothership) to get your food.** If you pick up at KW or UC and miss your pickup time, you may come to Fair Shares up until 7 p.m. the day of your pickup (if it’s after 7:30, call Jamie at the number below, we may say come on in). If you know you will not be able to make your pickup, please email us before noon that day, or call Jamie at 314.852.5426, because we are not in front of the computer much between noon and 7:30p.m. on pickup days.
** Some fresh produce may not hold over until your rescheduled time, or may no longer be available. We’ll give you what is available from your missed share.
– If you pick up at the Mothership, we need you to pickup on your assigned day of Wednesday or Thursday. In the days BC (Before Coronavirus), we could accommodate last minute flexibility, but now that we have to do all orders online and fill bags for curbside checkout. If you need to switch your day, let us know before Tuesday evening of your pickup by emailing info@fairshares.org.
We will be charging a restocking fee for those who repeatedly miss their shares, especially if you place an order and then don’t pick up*. The extra handling of bags and restocking the frozen items adds a lot of time and effort to our days, so charges will be added to your account as follows:
1st miss: No charge.
2nd miss: $2
3rd plus: $5
*If you have circumstances that will make you miss your share often, contact us and we will make other arrangements. We would prefer to fill your share when you come to pick up rather than handle it three times.
– If you will be late for your pick-up at Fair Shares, we don’t lock the door at 7:00, so come on in, but call the number above to let us know if you will be later than 7:30.
– If you need to put your share on hold for vacation, you may log in to your account and do so, but you must do so before Monday morning so we don’t order produce for you. If you need to put your share on hold after we have ordered the produce, you can still get credit for the non-produce items. If you are a half-share member and want to switch weeks* for a vacation, please give us plenty of advance notice—at least the week before.
Visit the Trades and Orders page to learn how to make your swaps.