Red River Market’s Double Bucks Program offers SNAP recipients double their money

FARGO, N.D. -- Recipients of the federal SNAP food program will be able to double their buying power of fresh produce and other eligible food items this summer thanks to a local food market.

This summer, Folkways, the organization which operates the Red River Market, will again allow SNAP recipients to take advantage of the SNAP Double Bucks Program, which awards food buyers a dollar-for-dollar match up to $15 total on market days.

This means that SNAP participants will have a total of $30 to spend on qualifying local harvests. Double Bucks never expire and roll over to the following weekend if not used. SNAP EBT cards from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota are all accepted. 35 farm stands and over 50 vendors will participate in the Double Bucks Program.

“When you first come up to the Farmer’s Market, we’re right in front of Broadway Square, right on Broadway (in downtown Fargo) so just look for the booth that is marked Red River Market, come up, swipe your card and that is all you have to do,” said Events Intern, Jay Rust.

Folkways Programing and Arts Coordinator, Lesley Wild says the Double Bucks Program is important to the community due to “increasing access to local nutrient rich produce for those who may need assistance.”

“I think it really helps with expanding the program; making sure that it really is for the entire community. Because a community can’t thrive if even one percent of the community isn’t doing well, so this program is really to make sure of that place making and making our community thrive is for actually everyone and extends to everyone,” adds Rust.

According to USAFacts.gov, in 2025, roughly 508,00 people received SNAP benefits in North Dakota or Minnesota, 453,000 in Minnesota and 55,300 in North Dakota.

That means that 7.8 percent of Minnesota’s population received SNAP benefits, compared with 6.9 percent of North Dakotans. 

Food insecurity is an issue that affects local residents on either side of the Red River.

For families with children facing food insecurity can be especially challenging. In North Dakota 10.4 percent of households with children used SNAP in 2024; In Minnesota it was 12.4 percent.

For single mothers the numbers are even higher. In North Dakota, more than 33 percent of single female parents used snap; in Minnesota over 31 percent. 

"Food insecurity is a very real fear for far too many of our neighbors. Across Churches United's facilities, we see the numbers rising consistently month by month," said Pastor Devlyn Brooks, CEO of Churches United. "We're feeding more people in our Micah's Mission Community Center; we're seeing increased numbers of people visiting Dorothy Day Food Pantry; and we know that our pantry partners across the region are feeling the same pressure. We are grateful to Folkways and the Red River Market for finding a way to help our neighbors stretch their SNAP benefits even further. All of our neighbors deserve the right to put fresh, nutritious food on their tables."

Churches United was founded in 1987 in the heart of downtown Moorhead in a former Lutheran church. In 2019, Churches United merged with the Dorothy Day organization, also located in Moorhead.

Today, Churches United operates four facilities, an emergency shelter, standalone food pantry and two permanent support housing apartment complexes, all of which are in Moorhead. The agency serves more than 500 people every single day by sheltering, housing them, feeding them and ensuring their needs are met.

Folkways is a nonprofit organization focused on providing inclusive experiences to fight loneliness, isolation, and ultimately bring the community together.