Giving a helping hand to a stranger is a great way to show you care for others. But when you donate over $1,000,000 in support of the local Red Cross chapter, you get honored by the Red Cross patrons and sponsors.

Marc Benioff was honored at the Weinstein Gallery in the Bay Area on Wednesday, March 9, for his huge support to the Red Cross, his continued commitment to the community, and his encouragement of others to give have made him stand out as this year’s recipient. This award is presented in conjunction with the 2011 Red Cross Gala, held on April 16, at Union Square in San Francisco.

The Red Cross Gala is the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter’s annual fundraising event that benefits local disaster and readiness for the Bay’s 4.5 million residents, in addition to raising awareness about the vital role the Red Cross plays within global communities.

Guests were greeted by the unique work of art in the gallery, an Audi R8. Audi is the lead sponsor for this year’s Red Cross Gala. Other sponsors include salesforce.com, Shorenstein Company, Riverbed Technologies, Inc., IBM, and Hiro and Betty Ogawa. They got to enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres accompanied by a trio of musicians, Savannah Jo Lack, who played throughout the whole event.

To view more pictures from this event, check out Haute Living’s Events Gallery.