In November 2015, Wanda Dench, of Mesa, Ariz., didn’t know her grandson had changed his cellphone number when she accidentally sent an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner to a complete stranger. On the other end, then-16-year-old Jamal Hinton, who lived 45 minutes away, replied with a laughing emoji saying, “You not my grandma. Can I still get a plate though?” Dench immediately replied, “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do……..feed everyone.” Hinton, who’s now 26, took her up on the Turkey Day dinner, and has every year since. “It’s just amazing to sit back and think that one mistaken text led to so many people’s happiness and joy,” said Hinton. The touching odd duo now takes turns hosting Thanksgiving dinner, including last year at Hinton’s aunt’s house in Phoenix. They have celebrated Thanksgiving through the death of Dench’s late husband Lonnie, through COVID-19 complications in 2020, and even through Dench's breast cancer diagnosis. The 68-year-old said she’s cancer-free as of her last check-up and was thrilled to spend another Thanksgiving with Hinton. “We got to actually inspire people, and that’s all I want to do — inspire people to do better, or to step out of your comfort zone and try something new,” said Hinton. There's little doubt that Thanksgiving in 2026 will have the pair getting together to celebrate another year of a friendship that happened by accident.
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| The first accidental Thanksgiving |
