A man who went viral after accidentally being invited to a family’s Thanksgiving dinner is due to celebrate the holiday with them for the sixth year in a row.
Jamal Hinton, 22, from Arizona, US received a text from an unknown number in 2016, inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner.
The text from 64-year-old grandmother, Wanda Dench, was meant to be for her grandson but he had changed his number, meaning the text went to Hinton instead.
After some initial confusion, the pair sent selfies to each other which confirmed the mix-up.
But, when Hinton asked Dench if he could still come over to celebrate the holiday, Dench replied: "Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do … feed everyone”.
Since their first conversation in 2016, Hinton has joined Dench and her family for Thanksgiving every year.
just wholesome 🥺🥰♥️ pic.twitter.com/QiFD6Kh46J
— Nicci (@uniquenicci__) November 14, 2021
On November 14, Hinton tweeted: “We are all set for year 6!” accompanied by a turkey emoji and his text conversation with Dench, who he has saved as “Grandma Wanda”.
We are all set for year 6! 🦃 pic.twitter.com/wEQioizWGd
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 14, 2021
He also tweeted a picture of himself, Dench, his partner Mikaela and Dench’s late husband, Lonnie, who died with Covid-19 in April last year.
Last Thanksgiving, Hinton, Dench and Mikaela still celebrated Thanksgiving together – and honoured Lonnie by holding up a photo of him in their annual selfie.
Their friendship has brought joy to Twitter users all around the globe, who have shared their responses in the lead up to year six.
Wholesome content I'm looking forward to every single year... pic.twitter.com/gClHSfjnuw
— OFFLINE (@poonameenu) November 14, 2021
6 years already?! If it’s taught us anything, is that life is precious. Enjoy your time together. 🙏🏽❤️ Y’all will forever be a great example of kindness and compassion just because y’all chose it.
— Maryvel Flores (@mflores1479) November 14, 2021
This tradition brings me so much joy every year. And I love how she’s Grandma Wanda in your phone. I just wish her husband was still here, but he will be in spirit.
— Tanya (@tzdabeez) November 14, 2021
Gosh, this just brought back a flood of memories. To this day, the story of how you fine folks all met six years ago continues to be an inspiration to me. You all showed the world at one point that compassion and empathy are a powerful thing.
— Pen (Comms Opening Soon) (@AbyssalPen) November 16, 2021
Have a great time, and cheers Jamal.
this is so wholesome and makes me so happy to see every single year pic.twitter.com/Z2ShvNiu2Z
— intrusive thotz (@th0tn0s) November 15, 2021
On their Thanksgiving tradition, Hinton told People in 2016: “It was so unexpected, but she was just so sweet about it. It was a reminder that there are still some good people left in this world.”
He said of Dench: “She is a very sweet lady, she told me her husband was a veteran and she always invited his friends over for dinner, so she’s used to having a lot of people over. I just got a vibe from her that made me feel at home.”
We are definitely looking forward to seeing more from Hinton and Dench’s upcoming, annual Thanksgiving celebration.
