FRESHFARM of Washington, DC

Our current food system leaves too many people behind. It prioritizes profit over health and the environment, affecting farmers’ livelihoods, undermining children’s nutrition, and compromising communities’ ability to thrive. At FRESHFARM, we nourish our food future by building a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system in the Mid-Atlantic region, producing innovative solutions in partnership with local communities and organizations. We create food access, economic development, and thriving communities through hands-on education, farmers markets, and food distribution programs.

Our founders Bernadine Prince and Ann Harvey Yonkers launched FRESHFARM as a public education program of the American Farmland Trust in 1996. The following year, on July 6, 1997, they opened the Dupont Circle farmers market in Washington, DC, with 15 farmers from four states selling fruits, vegetables, flowers, and plants.

In 2019, Hugo Mogollon joined FRESHFARM as executive director. Under his leadership, FRESHFARM merged with Community Foodworks—a peer organization he had led for five years—to become the largest farmers market organization in the Mid-Atlantic region. This merger strengthened FRESHFARM’s position as a regional food system organization and significantly expanded our reach and impact.

In 2025, Cat Oakar succeeded Hugo Mogollon as executive director following his transformative tenure. Cat brings a twenty-year career in food and health policy spanning national, state, and local levels. She is uniquely positioned to advance FRESHFARM’s mission of building a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system in the Mid-Atlantic region. Cat joins at a pivotal moment: as demand for our programs grows and the broader policy landscape shifts, her expertise and vision are instrumental in strengthening economic opportunity for farmers, closing food access gaps for underserved communities, and building lifelong skills for children.