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AWARE earns Cornucopia cash

Local environmental projects are set to get a helping hand after a large financial boost from Cornucopia.

Local environmental projects are set to get a helping hand after a large financial boost from Cornucopia.

Whistler’s annual food and wine festival, which took place in early November, managed to raise almost $30,000 this year and the selected charity recipient was the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment.

"This sort of opportunity never happens!" said an excited AWARE President Wendy Horan, holding onto the large cardboard cheque for almost $30,000.

The donation of the funds raised at Cornucopia is the biggest single amount of money AWARE has ever seen.

Horan said it’s coming at a critical time for non-profit groups, like AWARE.

She said funding, particularly government funding, is drying up right now.

"Funding these days is next to impossible," she said.

This makes the Cornucopia donation an "incredible gift" for AWARE.

The group has yet to decide what to do with the money but there are many opportunities to partner with other groups in the Sea to Sky corridor said Horan.

"I think the community will see the benefits of the funding over the next year," she said.

Horan said partnering with Tourism Whistler for Cornucopia was a great experience.

"From our end it was nothing but a positive experience," she said.

The five day Cornucopia event featured 18 consumer seminars as well as 14 special events like Crush!, the gala grand tasting at the Telus Conference Centre with approximately 1,300 guests.

More than 85 international wineries participated in the event this year, which is an increase of one-third from participants in the previous year.