Raising $380,000 in seven minutes at an auction where the only prize is a hug takes a special talent.
Gary Fisch’s auctioneer’s skills — and outsized heart — had bidders opening their wallets for the nonprofit Jersey Battered Women Services (JBWS) Spring Tastings fundraiser in Randolph. And it’s only one example of how Fisch, co-owner of three Gary’s Wine and Marketplace stores in North Jersey, supports the communities that are home to local businesses.
"Giving back is part of who we are,” says Fisch, who is also an NJBIA board member. “For nearly 40 years, we've believed that being a successful local business comes with a responsibility to invest in the communities that support us.
“Our goal is to help strengthen the neighborhoods we serve by partnering with organizations that improve lives, support families, advance education, promote the arts, and provide critical healthcare and community services,” Fisch said.
For Fisch and his wife, Liz, philanthropy goes beyond simply making a donation. They are also actively involved year-round in fundraising for nonprofits they support, including the Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center, Morris Arts, Interfaith Food Pantry, and Homeless Solutions.
Gary’s signature annual fundraiser is Gary’s Grand Tastings, which benefits the Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center and other charities. Over the years, this premier wine and culinary event featuring a variety of vendors serving spirits, wine, beer and gourmet snacks has raised over $1 million for the medical center and other charities.
Tickets are on sale now online for the 2026 Gary’s Grand Tastings, which will be held from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2 at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park.
Last year’s event raised over $135,000, Fisch said, and he’s hoping to top that this year. Through Gary’s philanthropic partnership with the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center’s Associate Board of Ambassadors, a portion of the proceeds from the 2026 Gary’ Grand Tastings will also support the expansion of the Deskovick Maternity Center at the hospital.
Although his auctioneer prowess won’t be needed for the silent auction that is part of Gary’s Grand Tasting, he gets plenty of practice in that regard with the Jersey Battered Women Service, a nonprofit he and his wife have fundraised for more than 15 years.
Fisch recalled that one of the first times he volunteered to serve as an auctioneer at the JBWS fundraiser, his part in the program followed a speech by an abuse survivor whose heartbreaking personal story had reduced the audience to tears.
“It was a very tough thing to follow, everyone was crying, so I didn’t know what else to do except start hugging people,” Fisch said. And thus began a new tradition; when there are no prizes for anyone to bid on, people bid to get hugs from Gary.
Sometimes the bidding for hugs can get off to a slow start, Fisch said. But he’s found he can often entice someone to make a $15,000 or $20,000 donation if he promises that he and his wife will match that amount, which then gets the ball rolling.
That's how a businessman with a heart helped the JBWS Spring Tasting gala auction raise $380,000 in just seven minutes on May 18 – eclipsing the previous $300,000 record.
