NEW YORK—The Glide Foundation announced that Zhao Danyang of the Hong Kong-based Pureheart China Growth Investment Fund won an auction, with a bid of $2.1 million, for the chance to eat lunch with billionaire Warren Buffett.
After the eBay charity auction, both Zhao and Buffett were not able to be reached on Saturday.
When Zhao and Buffett both have time, Zhao will be able to bring up to seven friends with him to New York City's Smith & Wollensky steakhouse.
This year's $2,110,100 goes to the Glide Foundation, which works to help provide poor and homeless San Francisco civilians with social services on an annual $12 million budget. Last year's lunch only brought in $650,100.
"It almost feels like a miracle," Glide's founder Reverend Cecil Williams said in a statement. "We are amazed and ready to continue our work of breaking the cycles of poverty."
Watching the auction results in a small hotel ballroom on Friday, shouts of celebration came from Glide's staff and supporters when the auction bids passed $1 million.
"It was absolutely unbelievable," spokeswoman Denise Lamott said.
The chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Buffett is mainly known for his investing success.
Buffett shared his plan to eventually donate almost all of his $49 billion in 2006. The largest share of his fortune would go to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Buffett owns more than 60 subsidiaries such as clothing, insurance, candy companies, natural gas, and corporate jet firms. He also has large investments in companies like Coca-Cola Co., Wells Fargo & Co., and Anheuser Busch Cos.
eBay officials claimed that this year's lunch auction with Buffett was the most expensive charity occasion the site has ever sold.
For six years, Buffett has auctioned lunches, but began auctioning offline for Glide Foundation since 2000.
Although Buffett only offers one annual lunch, Williams is proud to say that Buffett's commitment to the charity lunches are amazing.
"Thank you, Warren Buffett, for your deep compassion and sensitivity that empowers us to transform the lives of so many people in need," Williams said.
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