$572,274.00. That's the (staggering) amount of money raised for British Columbia food banks by CBC and their listeners in our province last week. Their bureaus in Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince Rupert and Prince George all held open houses and as I WROTE on Friday the Vancouver Broadcast Centre also hosted a super fun day that people from all around our region were invited to take part in. The Early Edition, BC Almanac and On The Coast all did live-in-front-of-a-studio-audience versions of their Radio One shows complete with musical guests, local celebrities as well as all of the awesomeness that they're usually known for.

As Canada's public broadcaster, CBC uses our tax dollars to create programming and keep us informed of everything important happening in our country, our province, and our city. Into all of their work is woven some sort of magic that makes us feel... well... more Canadian, connected to the people and that intangible something that makes us feel a sense of national (and civic) pride. So on one hand their Most Awesome Award is for all of the work they do in serving us "customers" of theirs (who are also kinda their bosses) by providing us this programming and inviting us into their space, but the most awesome customer service move is to their customers who use the food bank. CBC has been doing this open house for 28 years now and they've raised millions of dollars for families in need, and as our city continues to become less and less affordable I can't think of a more awesome thing they could do to serve the community. They used the power of their reach and their voice to raise more than half a million dollars this year. That's really awesome.

This is one of our Editor's Picks! Check out all of the winners of Most Awesome Awards from the Readers Choice below.

2014 Most Awesome Awards - Readers Choice

By Vancouver Is Awesome

Nominated by the readers of VancouverIsAwesome.com. Click the links in each slide to learn more about the winners!

• Most Awesome Building Manager

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  John Davis!

• Most Awesome Teenager

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Tomas Lang!

• Most Awesome Amateur Sports League

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Terminal City Roller Girls!

• Most Awesome Sharing Advocate

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Joni McKervey!

• Most Awesome Good Will Ambassador

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Bif Naked!

• Most Awesome Graphic Design Advocates

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Ross Milne and Grace Partridge!

• Most Awesome Doctor

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Doctor Julio Montaner!

• Most Awesome Charitable Entrepreneur

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Ken Lyotier of United We Can!

• Most Awesome Sports Fans

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Vancouver Whitecaps FC supporters!

• Most Awesome Librarian

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Sheila Mclean!

• Most Awesome Free Thing

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  The Vancouver Public Library!

• Most Awesome Walking Bridge

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  The one in East Van featured in The Raymur Mothers!

• Most Awesome Place to Regain Faith in Humanity

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Sol Convenience Store!

• Most Awesome Public Park

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Stanley Park!

• Most Awesome Knitters

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Knit Social!

• Most Awesome TV Show

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic!

• Most Awesome Soup

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Peaceful Noodle's Spicy Tangy Dumpling Soup!

• Most Awesome FREE Music Event Series

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Playground.is!

• Most Awesome Ocean Conservation Program

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  The Vancouver Aquarium's Ocean Wise!

• Most Awesome Local Food Advocate

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  Chad Brealey from Salt, Fresh & Field!

• Most Awesome Animal Rights Organization

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  The BC SPCA's Vancouver branch!

• Most Awesome Kitchen Rescue Organization

  By Vancouver Is Awesome

  VOKRA!

We're excited that TELUS is helping us bring you the Most Awesome Awards. A longtime friend of V.I.A., TELUS is passionate about giving back to the community by recognizing, celebrating and supporting great community partners, friends and neighbours making a difference in the lives of others. Watch in the coming weeks as we roll out all of the Most Awesome Awards presented by TELUS.