For the second year running, the Food Bank for New York City and the Lunchbox Fund of South Africa have enlisted over 100 celebrities in their holiday fundraiser. Boldface names like Kanye West, Elton John, Cameron Diaz, Mike Meyers, William Wegman and, um, Urban Outfitters, have created personalized, autographed lunchboxes that are now onsale via online auction.
At Thursday night's kick-off event at Saatchi & Saatchi, a lunchbox by Michael Stipe was snatched up for a cool $35,000. But the bidding is still open on most of the other boxes, and in some cases initial bids haven’t even been placed. The Guy Pearce box, for instance, is still waiting for bids, but interested buyers have until the 6pm on the 21st to jump in.
There are a lot of great gifts on auction for the geeky lunchbox collector in your life. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist (and Big Lebowski nihilist) Flea has reduced his lunchbox to a smashed tangle of metal, intertwined with a “run of show production list, Supersonic ticket, grocery list and golf tee.” (Current bid $100.) Mike Meyers’s box doubles as a remote-controlled car (current bid $100), and Patti Smith’s lunchbox is probably the most packed; it includes – deep breath – a 1914 edition of William Blake, a Maria Callas box set, an Aqua Teen Hunger Force CD, a signed original Polaroid of a 1957 Duo Sonic, a personal blank notebook for your thoughts, a 2002 handmade peace flag, a New Party CD and a small sack of personal items including a Rimbaud pin. (Current bid $350.)
Lunchbox images, clockwise starting at top left: Yoko Ono, TV on the Radio, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Frey, Beastie Boys, Anthropologie.
