This is my favorite Thanksgiving tradition.
You’ve probably seen the viral story over the years, but if not, here’s the rundown:
Back in 2016, Arizona grandmother Wanda Dench sent a text to her grandkids inviting them to Thanksgiving dinner. But one of her grandsons had recently changed his number, so her invitation went to a 17-year old named Jamal Hinton instead.
After they sorted out the mixup, Hinton had a question for Wanda: “Can I still get a plate tho?”
Dench stood by her invitation, telling Hinton that “that’s what grandma’s do…feed every one.”
Somebody grandma is coming in clutch this year!! Ayee!!! pic.twitter.com/QGrx83nHLl
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 15, 2016
Now most people would just laugh off the interaction and continue on with their day, but Hinton and Dench were serious about meeting up after the mix-up.
So sure enough, Hinton spent Thanksgiving 2016 with Wanda and her husband, Lonnie – and they’ve continued the tradition ever since.
2016, 2017…… 2018 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0ZNA54uGAS
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 23, 2018
As promised! Here’s our 2019 update 🦃 @mikaela_autumn pic.twitter.com/hHGZUXYzr3
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 29, 2019
And it’s not just Thanksgiving that they get together: Hinton has shared videos of the unlikely friends meeting up throughout the year, going to pumpkin patches and even trying to help Wanda set up her phone (and probably making sure she has her contacts listed correctly).
For everyone who thinks it’s just for the cameras and social media! We are so blessed to have Wanda and Lonnie in our lives and we all are so happy to know our story has touched so many people💛 pic.twitter.com/iapl88Gh6l
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) May 11, 2019
Lunch date with my other grandma! ❤️😊👵🏻 pic.twitter.com/qhXZl4ShHP
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) July 17, 2018
We went to the pumpkin patch today 🎃 pic.twitter.com/91q9yMJAoa
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) October 26, 2019
Us trying to teach them how to work their new phones😂 turns out we barely know how to work them too pic.twitter.com/Bpkw4kiaG7
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) July 12, 2020
Unfortunately Lonnie passed away from COVID last April, but the group (which now includes Hinton’s girlfriend Mikaela) still spent the holiday together, sharing a photo of themselves holding a picture of Lonnie.
Thank you @wandadench for such an amazing celebration! You are such a blessing to this world. We miss you Lonnie💙 pic.twitter.com/7vOlaC4sfp
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 26, 2020
And now they’re gearing up for their sixth straight Thanksgiving together, with Jamal confirming that he would again be heading to Wanda’s for the holiday.
We are all set for year 6! 🦃 pic.twitter.com/wEQioizWGd
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 14, 2021
It’s one of my favorite feel-good stories every time it pops up around this time of year – and just goes to show that there’s still a lot of kindness in this world, despite what we see on the internet and in the news every day.
