An autographed guitar, previously owned by the Canadian-born singer, went up for auction on eBay on Nov. 16. Be forewarned Bieber fans. The sale ends on Nov. 25.

The “Baby” singer signed the guitar during his October trip to Winnipeg to see girlfriend, Selena Gomez.

During that visit, Kenny Boyce, the manager of film and special events at Winnipeg’s city hall, assisted Bieber as he squired Gomez about town. As a show of thanks, the 17-year-old superstar presented the guitar to Boyce. But Boyce decided to share the gift with the community.

With Bieber’s blessing, Boyce called Winnipeg Harvest, a non-profit charity that collects food for the hungry, and made the offer to donate the guitar to the organization.

There’s no telling how much fans will pay for this authenticated bit of Bieber memorabilia. But the bidding, to date, has already exceeded expectations.

“We have a ‘buy out’ price on eBay of $7,500. But right now we’re sitting at $3,050, which is already wonderful,” said Kate Brenner, the director of development at Winnipeg Harvest.

“There were three guitars similar to this one signed by Justin auctioned in the United States. The average price was $700,” Brenner said on Thursday on CTV’s Canada AM.

The musical instrument is simple in design – just as one would expect of a guitar once used by a small-town kid. But it works.

“This acoustic Taylor guitar is ready to play,” states the eBay site.

Giving to charity is certainly nothing new for Bieber.

Recently, Bieber launched a massive fundraising effort called “The Believe Charity Drive” in conjunction with the release of his latest album, “Under the Mistletoe.” Portions of the profits went to charity.

Bieber has also personally benefited from charity in the past.

Recently, the star from Stratford, Ont. revealed that as a child his family relied on food banks.

Bieber told late night show host Jay Leno that his mother would go to a local Stratford food bank called the House of Blessing when times were tough.

“I was less fortunate. I didn’t get to have a lot, so we used to go there,” said Bieber, who recently contributed $10,000 to the House of Blessing.

Boyce watched Bieber talk about his use of food banks during those lean years. That prompted him to contact Winnipeg Harvest.

Winnipeg Harvest currently distributes approximately 11 million pounds of food per year to those in need, according to Brenner. When that figure is balanced against operating costs, the value equals $20 dollars of food for every $1 dollar donated.

Should Bieber’s guitar fetch $10,000 on eBay Brenner and her colleagues would be thrilled. That sum would translate into $200,000 in food for Winnipeg’s needy.

“We feed over 55,000 people per month. Fifty-one per cent of those are children,” said Brenner.

“Sadly, we have the highest rate of children using a food bank, which is a terrible distinction to have,” she said.

Across Canada, more than 850,000 people received food from a food bank in March 2011. That figure remains 26 per cent above levels experienced before the 2008 – 2009 recession.

The timing of Bieber’s donation may raise the brows of some his critics.

The news comes just as team Bieber has been battling allegations made by Mariah Yeater that the singer had fathered her child.

On Wednesday, the gossip website TMZ reported that Yeater had quietly dropped her paternity lawsuit in a California court last week.

For true Bieber fans, however, the star’s donation of his guitar offers them a sense of vindication and a new way to get closer to their idol.

As Boyce tweeted on Nov. 15, “It’s a perfect holiday gift for a Justin Bieber fan.”

Source: CTV News