WARREN BUFFETT will host a lunch to benefit GLIDE and its programs. The lunch will be up for bid on eBay beginning June 3, 2012 at 7:30 pm PDT and close June 8, 2012 at 7:30 pm PDT. Mr. Buffett will dine with the winning bidder and up to seven friends at Smith & Wollensky in New York City on a mutually agreed upon date.

All bidders must pre-qualify. The opening bid is $25,000.

100% of proceeds from the winning bid will benefit GLIDE, one of the leading social service institutions working to alleviate human suffering and poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Buffett has described GLIDE as “...maybe the most effective organization I’ve seen for people down on their luck.It takes people who have hit bottom and brings them back. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”.

The cost to dine with investor Warren Buffetthas apparently spiked in value, with one deep-pocketed bidder forking over nearly $3.5 million during a charity auction.

The annual auction for a private lunch with the Nebraska billionaire closed following a flurry of activity in the final hours Friday night. In the end, the highest bid was a record-breaking $3,456,789

About GLIDE:
Each year, GLIDE helps thousands of men, women, and children confront and overcome the effects of human suffering, poverty and homelessness through comprehensive services that emphasize unconditional love, healing, personal empowerment and self-affirmation. GLIDE provides these comprehensive services to more than 3,000 individuals every day and feeds over a million meals a year.

Founded nearly 50 years ago by Rev. Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani, GLIDE has been a spiritual home for all people and has brought social justice, love, courage and leadership to the community. Today, with Cecil and Janice in the roles of Founder and Founding President, GLIDE is directed by Kristen G. Yamamoto and Rita Shimmin, the Co-Executive Directors, who bring a wealth of compassion and experience to the task of continuing GLIDE’s impact and success in the coming years.
Bidding on a private lunch with investor Warren Buffett has started off slowly, but the auction that attracted winning bids of more than $2 million in each of the past four years runs all week.

By Tuesday morning, the bids remained at the opening price of $25,000, but astronomical bids typically don't arrive until the last minute. The eBay auction runs until Friday evening.