Since its founding in 2013, Bakken BBQ has raised over $900,000 for local families and charitable organizations, becoming a beloved tradition in Dickinson and a powerful source of community support. Co-founders Jackie Jenkin and Tiffany Steiner, along with a team of 15 dedicated committee members, transformed the original idea—an event to raise funds for Relay For Life—into a major nonprofit organization with a significant impact on the community. In just six weeks, the inaugural Bakken BBQ was organized, raising an impressive $40,000 and revealing the community’s enthusiasm and appetite for the event’s mission.

Today, Bakken BBQ unites 44 companies, each showcasing their finest barbecue recipes in a friendly competition for the first-place trophy, all while rallying for a common purpose: to inspire hope and uplift neighbors facing hardships. The event has grown beyond its original purpose to represent a celebration of unity, generosity, and local pride, creating meaningful change for individuals and families who need it most.