Grandma who went viral for inviting stranger to Thanksgiving celebrates 10th holiday meal with accidental ‘grandson’
An Arizona grandmother who went viral for inviting a teenage stranger to her Thanksgiving dinner will be celebrating their 10th holiday feast this Thursday with the same young man, whom she now calls “chosen family.”
“We never felt a generation gap… it’s like we’ve always been pals forever,” Wanda Dench, 68, of Mesa, told the Today Show earlier this week. “That grew into family and love, and I feel so blessed.”
Dench didn’t realize that her grandson had changed his phone number when she mistakenly sent an invite via a group text to Jamal Hinton’s phone in November 2016.
The then‑17‑year‑old, who lived 45 minutes away, replied with a laughing emoji and said, “You not my grandma. Can I still get a plate though?”
“They found out the next day,” Dench recalled. “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do … feed everyone,” she wrote back, sparking the internet’s interest in their unlikely friendship.
Hinton, now 26, accepted the offer and has joined her every Christmas dinner, he told the Today Show. “It’s just amazing to sit back and think that one mistaken text led to so many people’s happiness and joy,” he said.
Since that first Thanksgiving, they’ve been swapping hosts, including a recent dinner at Hinton’s aunt’s house in Phoenix. They’ve also shared some tough times, such as Dench’s husband Lonnie’s passing from COVID‑19 complications in 2020 and her own breast‑cancer diagnosis.
Dench said her first year was bittersweet because the media swarm at her home left her little chance to connect with Hinton. “We had more media people at my house than we had family members,” she expressed. The couple remedied this by inviting Hinton and his then‑girlfriend to a restaurant a few months later, which turned out to be a blast.
“There wasn’t ever an awkward moment,” Hinton recalled, adding that they chatted until the restaurant closed. “Thanksgiving is the only time we don’t get to have really great conversations with each other because we’re always interviewing!” he laughed.
According to Dench, she’s now cancer‑free following her last check‑up and is excited to spend another Thanksgiving with Hinton.
“We got to actually inspire people, and that’s all I want to — inspire people to do better, or to step out of your comfort zone and try something new,” Hinton said.
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