OMAHA (dpa-AFX) - An anonymous bidder pledged $2.68 million for a lunch date with billionaire investor Warren Buffett, as part of an annual auction to benefit a San Francisco charity.
As in previous years, the winner of the online auction that concluded Friday on eBay Inc.'s website can dine with the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., along with seven friends, at New York's Smith & Wollensky steakhouse.
The proceeds will got to Glide, a San Francisco charity that provides food, health care and other services to the homeless, the impoverished, and abuse victims.
According to eBay, the five-day auction attracted 41 offers, and the winning bid arrived in the closing seconds. The final price, however, was below the record $3.46 million bid in 2012 and 2016.
Glide's co-founder Janice Mirikitani said in a statement, 'We believe in building bridges, not walls. Warren Buffett and the generous bidders enable us to provide a holistic array of high quality services that meet critical needs, improve lives and elevate the human spirit.'
Starting in 2000, Buffett has held 18 annual auctions for Glide, raising about $26.3 million. He became involved with the charity after introduced by his first wife, Susan, who volunteered for the organization.
In the previous years, winners included hedge fund manager Ted Weschler, who won in 2010 and again in 2011. He later joined Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway as a top money manager.
With its $18 million annual budget, Glide reportedly provides more than 750,000 free meals, emergency shelter for 8,500 people, 2,600 HIV and Hepatitis C tests, and day care and after school programs for nearly 450 children.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX