Claim: Berkshire Hathaway, the legendary business concern headed by Warren Buffett and new owner of Pampered Chef, supports
Status: Sort of.
Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2003]
Dear Friend: I am a Pampered Chef consultant who has recently learned that, due to the sale of The Pampered Chef to As a result of this information, I have ceased to sell or recruit for The Pampered Chef. I have also launched an |
Origins: In October 2002, Berkshire Hathaway acquired The Pampered Chef, a kitchen products company which vends items at
Besides Pampered Chef, Berkshire Hathaway owns a number of businesses outright (including Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom, Geico Insurance, and See's Candies) and also has significant holdings in some very large corporations, including
Coca-Cola.
The motive force behind Berkshire Hathaway is its chairman and chief executive, Warren Buffett. Although Buffett is reckoned to be the second wealthiest man in the world, he still lives in the Omaha, Nebraska, home he purchased for $31,500 in 1958. His charitable organization, the Buffett Foundation, currently has
About 60 percent of the $33.4 million bestowed by the Buffett Foundation in fiscal year 2001 went toward family planning, reproductive rights, and population control programs operated by organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Johns Hopkins University, and the United Nations in accordance with Warren Buffett's beliefs that population growth must be checked before exceeding a level sustainable by the earth's resources. The Buffett Foundation also funds a number of college scholarships and awards in recognition of exemplary teachers.
In July 2003 Berkshire Hathaway announced the end of its shareholder-designated contribution program, through which holders of
What all this means is that Berkshire Hathaway itself no longer contributes money directly to various charities (controversial or otherwise) designated by its shareholders. However, since Warren Buffett (as a private individual) holds shares in Berkshire Hathaway and is free to contribute the profit he derives from those holdings to The Buffett Foundation, the businesses owned by Berkshire Hathaway (such as The Pampered Chef) are indirectly providing money to the causes Buffett supports through his foundation.
Barbara "missed hathaway" Mikkelson
Additional Information:
Berkshire Hathaway holdings
Berkshire Hathaway press release
Last updated: 28 November 2007
Sources: