Grandma Accidentally Invited Teen to Thanksgiving in 2016. How They’ve Spent the Holiday Together Ever Since

Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton became unlikely friends nearly a decade ago when she invited him to Thanksgiving dinner, thinking she was texting her grandson

Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench over the years. Photo: 

Jamal Hinton/Instagram;Airbnb

Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench became unlikely friends nearly a decade ago when Dench mistakenly texted a then-teenage Hinton to invite him to Thanksgiving dinner — and they’ve been celebrating together ever since!

When Hinton, then 17, first got a text from an unknown phone number inviting him to dinner, he thought it was “pretty funny, but kinda weird.”

“The text said, ‘Thanksgiving at my house’ and it was from a grandma, but I was like, ‘When did my grandma learn to text!?’ ” Hinton told PEOPLE at the time. “So I asked her for a picture and it definitely was not my grandma.”

Hinton explained that Dench’s actual grandson had recently changed his contact info and Hinton “ended up getting his old number.”

But everything changed when he jokingly texted Dench, “Can I still get a plate tho?”

“It was so unexpected, but she was just so sweet about it,” he said, adding, “It was a reminder that there are still some good people left in this world.”

Here’s a look back at how the pair have celebrated Thanksgiving together since that fateful accidental text.

Thanksgiving 2016: Year 1

Hinton told PEOPLE that once he got a real invite to Dench’s Thanksgiving dinner, he knew he was “definitely taking her up on her offer.” 

“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,” the then-Desert Vista High School student added. “I just got a vibe from her that made me feel at home.”

As for what he planned to bring to the table? That’s easy. “I’m bringing the pumpkin pie,” he said. (Well, more on that later.)

Thanksgiving 2017: Year 2

Of course, what happened in 2016 was just the beginning of the pair’s story. 

In 2017, Hinton told PEOPLE that the pair had been “keeping in touch here and there,” including when he graduated high school. 

One thing that didn’t go according to plan last year though? Bringing the pumpkin pie (he told PEOPLE he actually forgot to pick one up. But for that year’s celebration, Hinton said he actually was bringing the staple desert as well as his girlfriend. 

“I guess you can say thanksgiving was one for the books,” he captioned that year’s photo.

Thanksgiving 2018: Year 3

2018 marked the pair’s third Thanksgiving celebration, and to mark the occasion, Hinton shared a series of photos of some of the holiday selfies they’d taken over the years.

“2016, 2017……2018,” he captioned the sweet post.

Thanksgiving 2019: Year 4

Hinton’s Thanksgiving update arrived “as promised” in 2019, as he shared a number of photos from celebrations past and present.  

Around the same time, Hinton also shared that he and his girlfriend still spent time with Dench and her husband when it wasn’t Thanksgiving. “Blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives,” he captioned a smiling group photo.

Thanksgiving 2020: Year 5

In 2020, the pair met up yet again, although there was one less person at the table: Dench’s husband, Lonnie, who died in April 2020 after a battle with COVID-19.

“This Thanksgiving, along with all the holidays coming up, aren’t going to be the same as past ones but we will make the best of it,” Hinton wrote in an Instagram post. “Rest In Peace to Lonnie and everyone else we lost this year we will miss you greatly. Thank you for being in our lives.”

Dench – who did get COVID, but recovered – remembered her husband as having “the truest heart.”

“He did so many acts of kindness that no one ever heard about,” she told Arizona Family after his death. “He was my hero. And I’m a better person because of him.”

Thanksgiving 2021: Year 6

Ahead of their annual celebration in 2021, Hinton said they were “all set” to once again share good food and conversation. 

Sure enough, when the day rolled around, Hinton shared they were “6 years strong.”

Thanksgiving 2022: Year 7

Just like usual, Hinton assured fans ahead of time that “yes Thanksgiving year 7 is planned out!” 

Ahead of the happy day, the friends appeared on the Today show, where Dench said that Hinton “”literally changed my life and my point of view on young generations about being open to friendships.” 

“Uou think you have nothing in common,” she added, but when you just sit and talk to them? Oh my gosh … He’s in my heart for life.”

Thanksgiving 2023: Year 8

For 2023, the pair had something slightly different up their sleeves: this year, they were going to be the ones to invite a stranger to dinner. 

Thanks to a partnership with Airbnb, they were joined by a special guest, who booked a stay at Dench’s home in Prescott, Arizona, for $16  — a nod to 2016, the year Dench and Hinton spent their first Thanksgiving together.

“I think it is perfect,” Hinton told PEOPLE at the time. “I mean, me personally, I love meeting new people and building new friendships.”

As per usual, the friends celebrated with a selfie, which included their guest,  identified as Arseni.  

“That’s a wrap on Thanksgiving year 8!” Hinton captioned the snap. “Thankful for the connections we made hosting our first @airbnb guest.”

Thanksgiving 2024: Year 9

This marks the first year the friends have spent together since Dench revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Hinton first shared the news of Dench’s diagnosis in a post on X in October this year, in which the 67-year-old grandmother wrote that she was diagnosed earlier this year and has been undergoing chemotherapy.

She wrote at the time that friends and family “quickly came to my aid and have supported me through everything” and that this scary part of her life has still taught her several important lessons.

“Just because you may be older, we still have a lot of life to live,” wrote Dench, who shared the post during Breast Cancer Awareness month. She later added, “continue getting your check-ups, and continue to live YOUR life!”

Despite her diagnosis, Dench confirmed that she and Hinton will still be getting together for Thanksgiving in November “as we have every year.”

With the actual celebration still to come, Hinton announced on social media that this time around he was hosting dinner.

“Looking forward to a day filled with good food, great company, and lasting memories,” he added in a social media post. “Year 9 coming soon!”