A mistaken text message turned heartwarming tradition is back for its ninth year, reuniting a Black man with a white grandmother who accidentally invited him to Thanksgiving in 2016, leading to an annual holiday gathering that has since turned the unlikely friends into a national treasure.
Wanda Dench, 67, and Jamal Hinton, 26, plan to kick off another holiday season together on Thursday after spending Thanksgiving at Dench’s home in Prescott, Arizona, for the past eight years, beginning when the former strangers met in a mistaken text exchange.
Their unexpected friendship has since become the annual Thanksgiving tradition the country never knew it needed — a rare feel-good story about connection and community, one that transcends racial and political divides while highlighting the true spirit of the holiday, ultimately proving that a single wrong number can create a lifelong bond.
Ahead of this year’s holiday, Hinton took to Instagram to share an uplifting post, showcasing a collage of photos capturing his ongoing friendship with Dench. In the caption, he wrote, “Excited to announce that I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year for Wanda and I! Looking forward to a day filled with good food, great company, and lasting memories. Year 9 coming soon!”
The announcement of their ninth Thanksgiving together comes just a month after Dench shared that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite the difficult news, the pair remains committed to their annual meeting, showcasing the enduring strength of their friendship through both good times and bad.
Four years ago, Wanda Dench shared the heartbreaking news that her husband, Lonnie, had passed away from COVID-19.
More recently, she opened up about her cancer diagnosis, which followed a CT scan for bronchitis that revealed a mass in her breast. The discovery was a shock, as Dench explained that cancer doesn’t run in her family, and her previous mammograms had always come back negative.
“In 2022 I turned 65 years old and I thought I would have my last mammogram and not have to think about it again. But I was wrong,” she wrote.
Throughout her treatment, Dench has maintained a hopeful perspective, focusing on the support she has received from “wonderful people” along the way. She shared her experience as a reminder for others to value life and stay proactive about health, particularly by keeping up with regular doctor appointments.
“I’ve learned a lot of life’s lessons through it all, but what I want to stress most of all is just because you may be older, we still have a life to live,” she wrote. “So continue getting your checkups, and continue to live YOUR life!”
Back in 2016, when she texted a Thanksgiving invitation to Hinton by accident — she had intended to text her grandson, but his previous phone number was now Hinton’s — the 17-year-old exchanged texts and photos with her and then whimsically asked, “Can I still get a plate tho?” to which Dench replied, “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do … feed everyone.”
True to his word, Hinton showed up, and the pair’s story quickly went viral on social media, with many feeling inspired by their unexpected friendship.
In 2021, Netflix announced it was planning to adapt the heartwarming story into a film titled “The Thanksgiving Text.”
“We hope it inspires more people to reach out and make connections that they wouldn’t ordinarily make,” Hinton and Dench said in a statement shared by Netflix at the time. “We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message.”
