An anonymous bidder with deep pockets spent over $3 million to have lunch with billionaire investing legend Warren Buffett.
For the 19th year in a row, the octogenarian CEO of Berkshire Hathaway auctioned off a lunch date to raise money for Glide, an anti-poverty organization in San Francisco, California. When the auction closed late Friday, the winning bid topped $3.3 million according to the online event hosted by EBay for Charity.
Over the years, Buffett's charity lunches have raised almost $26 million, according to information provided by EBay for Charity. (Including additional gifts donated after the auctions have closed, the event has raised more than $26 million.)
The winner can bring up to seven friends for the lunch at Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in New York City.
This year's winning bid fell narrowly short of the highest sum the lunch has fetched so far, which was $3,456,789. Anonymous bidders paid that exact sum both in 2012 and in 2016, according to a information provided by EBay for Charity.
Bidding for the lunch began at $25,000.
"Glide really takes people who have hit rock bottom and helps bring them back," said Buffett, in a written statement about the auction. "They've been doing it for decades. If I can help out by raising some money for them, then I enjoy doing it."
Glide is a church with an extensive charity outreach program, offering meals, access to health care and shelter, childcare and family services.
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