Wanda Dench is a grandma that texted her 24-year-old grandson back in 2016 to tell him that Thanksgiving dinner would be at her house at 3:00 pm. What she didn’t know, however, is that she texted the wrong number and instead sent the message to the 17-year-old high schooler Jamal Hinton. The two exchanged selfies and realized the mistake, and Hinton jokingly asked if he could still get a plate.
Dench wrote back ‘Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do – feed everyone’ – and that’s how this amazing tradition started.
Hinton took her up on the offer and the wholesome Thanksgiving story began – one of the most heartwarming and beloved stories on the internet.
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Every year since, Dench and Hinton have gathered to enjoy Thanksgiving together. Hinton has documented their holiday gatherings on social media, and this year’s Twitter announcement that the tradition is continuing for a sixth year garnered a million likes in one day. The post includes a screenshot of Dench’s text to Hinton—from “Grandma Wanda”—that reads: “It would bring me great joy if you, Mikaela and your family would come to my house on Thanksgiving day to share good food and great conversation. Your friend always, Wanda.” It also included a photo of Wanda and her husband Lonnie with Jamal and his girlfriend Mikaela from two Thanksgivings ago.
Hinton and Dench have since gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving together for 5 years in a row.
Naturally, Hinton has been documenting their holiday gatherings on social media, and he announced on Twitter that the tradition is continuing for the sixth year in a row.
He gathered more than 1 million likes in one day, and the post includes the screenshot of the texts he and Dench exchanged.
We are all set for year 6! 🦃 pic.twitter.com/wEQioizWGd
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 14, 2021
Unfortunately, the table will be missing one member this year. Sadly, Lonnie, Dench’s husband, passed away last year from Covid-19.
Nevertheless, we love the heartwarming story just as much as everyone else, and we hope it will continue for years to come!
Source: Upworthy
