Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Bonton Farms catalyzed the revival of a once forgotten neighborhood in South Dallas. Daron Babcock, the organization’s founder, attributes its success to the lessons he learned from his friend and collaborator, Daris Lee, a longtime resident of the neighborhood. Babcock and Lee will discuss the dramatic beginning of their partnership and what has made their approach different in a decade and a half of service to the community.
Daron Babcock is referred to as a “social entrepreneur,” having started multiple successful social ventures; Bonton Honey Company, The Market at Bonton Farms, Bonton Farms Coffee House, Bonton Farmers Market, The Preservatory, and CityBuild Housing. Of all his ventures, the most notable, though, is Bonton Farms, one of the largest urban farms in the United States nestled in a once-forgotten neighborhood in South Dallas.
Daron is also a perpetual visionary and re-inventor of what’s possible. Bonton Farms is so much more than a farm, it is the catalyst that is creating systemic change necessary so the residents of Bonton and others from marginalized neighborhoods all over the country can fully realize the full potential created in them.
Daris Lee grew up in Bonton learning to survive in the streets where he recalls feeling unphased by dangerous encounters — such as the time he was shot. Unconcerned for his own life, Daris earned his reputation in the streets. His lifestyle finally caught up to him when he was arrested and sent to prison for aggravated robbery and drug possession.
Almost five and half years later, Daris was released and committed to getting his life on track — but before he could even get his feet on the ground, he was pulled over and arrested for a laundry list of unpaid tickets and fines that, unbeknownst to him, had been accumulating while he was serving time. Overwhelmed by the prospect of paying off tens of thousands of dollars in debt, he found himself no less a prisoner at that point than while he had been locked up. Chronic stress led to high blood pressure, which ultimately landed him in the hospital where he was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease.
With his kidneys failing, Daris was now a prisoner in his own body, too. In the face of death, he experienced a “light switch moment” that changed everything. If he were to survive, he wanted to live. Tired of struggling, fighting, and hurting, he looked to his community — a community he feels he robbed for so many years — and vowed to dedicate the rest of his life to making amends and becoming a warrior for positive change.
Daris joined up with Daron Babcock in 2010, when his story helped imagine what would eventually become Bonton Farms. Although Daris has been involved since the farm's conception, he "officially" joined Bonton Farms in 2021 as the Health & Wellness Manager. Leveraging his personal journey, he now helps guide the organization’s Health & Wellness initiatives to lead his community toward better outcomes.
Daris is a shining example of how redemption and transformation are absolutely possible. He reminds us each day that attitude, gratitude, and a good sense of humor can change your life. You will almost never find him not smiling or laughing – and we are grateful for the bright light he shines everywhere he goes.
The Acton Institute is a think-tank whose mission is to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles.
This direction recognizes the benefits of a limited government, but also the beneficent consequences of a free market. It embraces an objective framework of moral values, but also recognizes and appreciates the subjective nature of economic value. It views justice as a duty of all to give the one his due but, more importantly, as an individual obligation to serve the common good and not just his own needs and wants.
In order to promote a more profound understanding of the coming together of faith and liberty, Acton involves members of religious, business, and academic spheres in its various seminars, publications, and academic activities. It is our hope that by demonstrating the compatibility of faith, liberty, and free economic activity, religious leaders and entrepreneurs can contribute by helping to shape a society that is secure, free, and virtuous.
Visit our website: acton.org
Subscribe to the Acton Line Podcast: acton.org/acton-line
Visit the Acton Bookshop: shop.acton.org
Follow Acton on Facebook: facebook.com/ActonInstitute
Follow Acton on Twitter: twitter.com/ActonInstitute
Follow Acton on Instagram: instagram.com/acton_institute
Bonton Farms catalyzed the revival of a once forgotten neighborhood in South Dallas. Daron Babcock, the organization’s founder, attributes its success to the lessons he learned from his friend and collaborator, Daris Lee, a longtime resident of the neighborhood. Babcock and Lee will discuss the dramatic beginning of their partnership and what has made their approach different in a decade and a half of service to the community.
Daron Babcock is referred to as a “social entrepreneur,” having started multiple successful social ventures; Bonton Honey Company, The Market at Bonton Farms, Bonton Farms Coffee House, Bonton Farmers Market, The Preservatory, and CityBuild Housing. Of all his ventures, the most notable, though, is Bonton Farms, one of the largest urban farms in the United States nestled in a once-forgotten neighborhood in South Dallas.
Daron is also a perpetual visionary and re-inventor of what’s possible. Bonton Farms is so much more than a farm, it is the catalyst that is creating systemic change necessary so the residents of Bonton and others from marginalized neighborhoods all over the country can fully realize the full potential created in them.
Daris Lee grew up in Bonton learning to survive in the streets where he recalls feeling unphased by dangerous encounters — such as the time he was shot. Unconcerned for his own life, Daris earned his reputation in the streets. His lifestyle finally caught up to him when he was arrested and sent to prison for aggravated robbery and drug possession.
Almost five and half years later, Daris was released and committed to getting his life on track — but before he could even get his feet on the ground, he was pulled over and arrested for a laundry list of unpaid tickets and fines that, unbeknownst to him, had been accumulating while he was serving time. Overwhelmed by the prospect of paying off tens of thousands of dollars in debt, he found himself no less a prisoner at that point than while he had been locked up. Chronic stress led to high blood pressure, which ultimately landed him in the hospital where he was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease.
With his kidneys failing, Daris was now a prisoner in his own body, too. In the face of death, he experienced a “light switch moment” that changed everything. If he were to survive, he wanted to live. Tired of struggling, fighting, and hurting, he looked to his community — a community he feels he robbed for so many years — and vowed to dedicate the rest of his life to making amends and becoming a warrior for positive change.
Daris joined up with Daron Babcock in 2010, when his story helped imagine what would eventually become Bonton Farms. Although Daris has been involved since the farm's conception, he "officially" joined Bonton Farms in 2021 as the Health & Wellness Manager. Leveraging his personal journey, he now helps guide the organization’s Health & Wellness initiatives to lead his community toward better outcomes.
Daris is a shining example of how redemption and transformation are absolutely possible. He reminds us each day that attitude, gratitude, and a good sense of humor can change your life. You will almost never find him not smiling or laughing – and we are grateful for the bright light he shines everywhere he goes.
The Acton Institute is a think-tank whose mission is to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles.
This direction recognizes the benefits of a limited government, but also the beneficent consequences of a free market. It embraces an objective framework of moral values, but also recognizes and appreciates the subjective nature of economic value. It views justice as a duty of all to give the one his due but, more importantly, as an individual obligation to serve the common good and not just his own needs and wants.
In order to promote a more profound understanding of the coming together of faith and liberty, Acton involves members of religious, business, and academic spheres in its various seminars, publications, and academic activities. It is our hope that by demonstrating the compatibility of faith, liberty, and free economic activity, religious leaders and entrepreneurs can contribute by helping to shape a society that is secure, free, and virtuous.
Visit our website: acton.org
Subscribe to the Acton Line Podcast: acton.org/acton-line
Visit the Acton Bookshop: shop.acton.org
Follow Acton on Facebook: facebook.com/ActonInstitute
Follow Acton on Twitter: twitter.com/ActonInstitute
Follow Acton on Instagram: instagram.com/acton_institute
