Community Outreach Programs at 5 Acre Farm Daylilies

5 Acre Farm Daylillies LLC | Join us to explore our new agriculture outreach initiatives and see how we're supporting the daylily community and promoting environmental conservation programs in 2027!

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Connection Corner

Connection Corner at 5 Acres

Connection Corner is where we share how 5 Acre Farm Daylilies engages in agriculture outreach initiatives to give back to our community and support causes that resonate with us. In this section, you’ll find information about programs we’ve initiated on the farm, charities we contribute to and fundraise for, and local causes we actively volunteer with throughout the year. While many of these efforts focus on daylily community support close to home, we also include opportunities for friends, customers, and visitors from anywhere to learn more and lend their support.

We invite you to visit Connection Corner often to discover the organizations and projects we’re involved with, including our environmental conservation programs, read related stories from our newsletter, and consider joining us in making a difference. Whether you choose to donate, volunteer, share a cause, or simply learn more, your support helps kindness continue to grow.

Group hug under the title 'Connection Corner' with icons of hugging figures.

NatUUre Connect

A Deeper Dive into NatUUre

NatUUre Connect is a community-focused program created by Aaron Slayton (they/them) of 5 Acre Farm Daylilies, blending agriculture outreach initiatives with hands-on education. Part farm initiative and part outreach program supported by Jim Wuerch and Aaron Slayton’s church, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign (UUCUC), NatUUre Connect combines conservation, horticulture, and altruism in an inviting manner. The program is crafted for all ages, offering opportunities for children, teens, adults, families, and lifelong learners to connect with nature, serve the community, and enjoy themselves while making a meaningful difference.

At 5 Acre Farm Daylilies, Jim and Aaron have envisioned innovative ways to utilize the farm as a hub for education, community care, and impactful connections. While the daylily business remains central to the farm, NatUUre Connect enables us to extend our reach beyond the blooms and share our passions with others. Whether someone is planting, learning, volunteering, donating, observing wildlife, or simply exploring new interests, these environmental conservation programs are designed to be approachable, engaging, and enjoyable for everyone.

**Conservation**

**Bat Conservation:** On the back half of our five acres, we are developing an arboretum that will include bat houses, with plans to register the area as a bat sanctuary. With confirmed bats already on the property and Aaron's substantial experience in bat conservation from their work in Tennessee, this program offers an excellent opportunity for people of all ages to learn about bats, their vital role in the ecosystem, and the importance of protecting their habitats.

**Monarch Conservation:** Serving as team lead for the Monarch Waystation at UUCUC, Aaron has transformed part of the farm into a registered Monarch Waystation and butterfly garden. In future plans, we aim to raise and regularly release monarchs from the farm. This initiative provides an engaging opportunity for all ages to witness the marvels of pollinators up close, while gaining insights into how small actions can contribute to larger environmental conservation programs.

**Wildlife Conservation:** Our farm features bird feeders strategically placed throughout the property, which we diligently maintain to support local wildlife. This simple yet meaningful effort creates a welcoming habitat and brings visitors of all ages the chance to observe, appreciate, and learn about the wildlife surrounding us.

**Pollinator Conservation:** Pollinator care is integrated into our monarch and bat conservation work, and we have been beekeeping on the property for years. From butterflies and bees to bats and birds, this holistic approach allows individuals of all ages to see how interconnected all elements of nature truly are.

**Horticulture**

As a daylily farm complete with an orchard, arboretum, and produce crops, horticulture forms the foundation of NatUUre Connect. One of our key programs, Hybridizing with 5 Acres, enables participants to learn how to hybridize daylilies and contribute to the creation of a new cultivar. Participants receive naming rights for their cultivars while we manage and care for the seedlings. Once a seedling matures and blooms, we assess it, letting the participant name it and register it as part of both the farm’s legacy and their own, immortalizing them in plant history. Currently, this program is available to UUCUC members, where the spirit of learning and plant discovery is accessible to participants of all ages.

Daylilies developed through this initiative are categorized as NatUUre Lilies, with fifty percent of all sales donated to UUCUC, while the remaining fifty percent supports the NatUUre Connect program and its ongoing projects. This is a joyful intersection of horticulture, generosity, and community support.

In the future, we aspire to open this program to the public, which will necessitate additional space and dedicated gardens distinct from retail areas, alongside a selection of approved charities for participants to support. Our objective is for every plant created publicly to contribute to a chosen cause, with sales benefiting that charity exclusively. While we anticipate this expansion won’t be realized until at least 2028, interested parties are encouraged to express their interest and complete an intake form during the planning phase. Ultimately, we aim to develop an all-ages learning environment where families, youths, adults, and community groups can engage in plant creativity while backing meaningful causes.

**Altruism**

NUUrture is a subprogram of NatUUre Connect dedicated to cultivating and distributing fresh food to neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Launched in 2026, Aaron Slayton grew over 3,000 produce plants at 5 Acre Farm Daylilies, providing fresh produce to 10–30 local community members weekly to help them meet their needs. The program is set to run for approximately 20 weeks this year, with hopes of future expansion. Any surplus produce is donated to various community initiatives, including Monday Night Dinners for Gaza, the Immigration Justice Team at UUCUC, and local soup kitchens, all with the goal of reducing waste and ensuring that quality food reaches those who need it most. This hands-on care exemplifies community responsibility, fostering understanding of food access and service among participants of all ages.

N2UU, or NUUrture to UUs, is another subprogram that assists in collecting and distributing fresh produce, backpacks, school supplies, and other necessities. Items are collected at the farm and distributed through local leaders and representatives engaged in community work, including those where we also volunteer. Like the overarching NatUUre Connect mission, this program aims to welcome participation from all ages, whether that entails donating supplies, helping with collections, understanding local needs, or supporting those already contributing to essential community work.

Viridescent Pathways, a farm-based subprogram of NatUUre Connect, is set to launch in the coming years. These affordable classes will connect participants with nature, provide educational opportunities, and support the broader objectives of NatUUre Connect. There will be occasional free classes offered alongside the paid options. Designed for all ages, participants will need to register in advance for these experiences. While not every class can be free, we are devoted to making these learning opportunities welcoming, meaningful, and accessible wherever possible. Importantly, Viridescent Pathways will perpetuate the all-ages ethos of NatUUre Connect, fostering opportunities for children, teens, adults, families, and community members to learn, explore, and grow together.

Other Causes We Have Passion For

CASA Lilies & UU Lilies

CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, trains community volunteers to advocate for children who have faced abuse or neglect, ensuring that each child’s best interests are heard in the courtroom and beyond. CASA's work significantly impacts these children, helping them move toward safety, stability, permanency, and the opportunity to thrive. At 5 Acre Farm Daylilies, we are deeply committed to this mission, which is why, since 2010, we have donated the naming rights of one of our daylilies to the annual CASA auction. The winning name is added to our farm’s official daylily inventory, and 100% of the proceeds from the sale of that daylily are donated to CASA at the end of the season. This effort aligns with our agriculture outreach initiatives, as we strive to support organizations that give children a voice when they need it most and contribute to the daylily community support.

Unitarian Universalism is guided by principles that affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person, including justice, equity, compassion, acceptance, spiritual growth, truth-seeking, democratic processes, peace, and respect for the interdependent web of existence. Many UU communities also recognize an eighth principle, focused on building a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community and working to dismantle racism and other oppressions. These values are not only ideals we admire; they are principles that Jim Wuersch and Aaron Slayton (they/them) strive to embody in our farming practices, service, generosity, and community building. Jim has been a UU for several years and serves on the board at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, while Aaron has been part of the UU community for 26 years. Together, we view our work with 5 Acre Farm Daylilies as a meaningful way to put compassion, justice, and care for the interconnected web of life into action, complementing our environmental conservation programs.

In 2026, members of UUCUC voted on a name for one of our seedlings, and the chosen name was Chalice Flame. Starting in 2027, we plan to donate the naming rights of one of our daylilies to the UU church each year. When those daylilies sell, 100% of the proceeds will directly benefit the church. This partnership beautifully encapsulates our shared values and highlights our commitment to the beauty of community and the principles we hold dear, making each bloom a small yet significant expression of our aspirations.

Little Free Pantry at UUCUC

"to help those in need, one donation at a time..."

I co-lead the Little Free Pantry at UUCUC alongside Pat Nolan, supporting a vital community resource where individuals can take what they need and give what they can. This pantry plays a crucial role in our agriculture outreach initiatives, providing accessible food and necessities to neighbors who may need extra support, while also giving others a simple and meaningful way to engage in daylily community support. NUUrture connects with this work as an extension of the pantry, helping to grow and share fresh produce in alignment with our environmental conservation programs, embodying the spirit of generosity and mutual aid. If you would like to donate, please visit the donations section at the bottom of this page for more information about how to contribute and what items can be donated.

Monday Night Dinners for GAZA!

Monday Night Dinners for Gaza

Palestine, and especially Gaza, is facing a devastating humanitarian crisis that many human rights organizations, legal experts, and communities around the world have described as genocide. In simple terms, families have been living through extreme violence, displacement, loss of homes, lack of food and clean water, limited medical care, and the ongoing fear of not knowing what will happen next. Children and families are among those most deeply affected, with essential services such as healthcare, water, sanitation, and protection severely disrupted. It can feel overwhelming to understand, and it can feel impossible to know what one person or one community can do.

While we recognize that we cannot directly or simply fix what is happening in Gaza, we also believe there can be no hope for healing, justice, or peace without compassion, awareness, honest conversations, and community. This belief is at the heart of initiatives like Monday Night Dinners for Gaza. These dinners serve as a welcoming place where people can share a meal, pay what they can, learn more, raise awareness, and even explore agriculture outreach initiatives that provide support to communities in need. Around the table, we can listen, care, and remind ourselves that even though a problem may feel too large to solve alone, compassion and community still matter. An action as simple as holding something in your heart can have a lasting impact, even if it doesn’t feel powerful enough in the moment. If you are local, join us for one of our dinners. If you aren’t local and would like to donate, please reach out to Ciaran (he/they) [e-mail is in the image above] for more information on how to do so, or a member of staff at 5 Acre Farm Daylilies can help facilitate your donation. We are also committed to incorporating environmental conservation programs to bolster our efforts in supporting the daylily community and ensuring a sustainable future.

Connection Corner

Connection Corner at 5 Acres

NatUUre Connect

NatUUre Connect

NatUUre Connect Breakdown

NatUUre Connect

A Deeper Dive into NatUUre

Other Causes We Have Passion For

CASA Lilies & UU Lilies

Little Free Pantry at UUCUC

"to help those in need, one donation at a time..."

Monday Night Dinners for GAZA!

Monday Night Dinners for Gaza