Wrong Thanksgiving Text Tradition Lives On: ‘Year 9 Coming Soon’

It’s a feel-good story that recirculates every November and this year is no different.

In 2016, when then-teenager Jamal Hinton responded to a text from someone claiming to be his grandmother, he couldn’t have possibly realized how it would change his life.

Wanda Dench thought she was texting her grandson, but texting the wrong number brought two strangers together on Thanksgiving and their tradition is living on this year for the ninth time.

It all started when Dench thought she was texting her grandson to invite him over for Thanksgiving dinner. She quickly found out that she had the wrong number. Instead of dismissing the text, Hinton responded and the conversation continued from there with the invite being extended to him.

“I was texting two of my grandsons and the one who had changed his phone number and didn’t tell me,” Dench told PEOPLE. “And it seems as though Jamal had gotten his old phone number and that’s how Jamal got my text.”

Hinton, just 17 at the time, told PEOPLE, “The text said, ‘Thanksgiving at my house’ and it was from a grandma, but I was like, ‘When did my grandma learn to text?’ So I asked her for a picture and it definitely was not my grandma.”

Hinton responded, “Can I still get a plate tho?” and Dench responded, “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do…feed everyone.”

The two have spent Thanksgiving together every year since.

Hinton and Dench have spent every Thanksgiving together as family since Dench accidentally texted the wrong number an invitation to dinner. This year marks the ninth Thanksgiving they’ll be together. Hinton took to Instagram to share the exciting news.

“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!” he captioned a carousel of photos on Instagram that reminisces the past few years of get togethers.

Social media users who have been following this story since the beginning left comments about how happy they are to hear there’s a year 9 in the works.

“I’m so happy that this one little wrong number text has turned into such a wonderful new family,” one person wrote. Another said, “I look forward to a post like this every year.”

The sentiment seemed to be shared by everyone who dropped into the comment section.

“I look forward to these posts and pictures every year! What a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition you all have going,” one follower wrote. Another said, “Y’all are the reason I still have faith in humanity.” And one other person wrote, “This is still the best story on the internet to date.”

The two friends have kept the Thanksgiving tradition going strong and even meet up other times of the year.

There have been some changes over the years for the families. Sadly, Dench’s husband Lonnie died in 2020, and the two still got together that year to honor him. A happy addition to their annual holiday meet-up is Hinton’s girlfriend Mikaela, who now joins them every year at the dinner table.

Hinton and Dench went from friends to family to business partners when they launched an alkaline black water called BlackMP. They also competed on a game show together and hosted a special Thanksgiving dinner through their partnership with Airbnb last year.

Hinton shared the news of Dench’s breast cancer in a length Instagram post, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“Here is a special message from Wanda. Hi, my name is Wanda, you might know how we meant in 2016 when I accidentally sent him a text inviting him to Thanksgiving when I thought I sent it to my grandson.  It went viral and it changed our life for the better and we still plan on getting together for Thanksgiving next month as we have every year,” the post begins.

“But what I want to let you know today is this month is Breast Cancer awareness month. Earlier this year I came down with bronchitis and had a CT scan to check out my lungs.  That’s when a mass in my breast was detected and they suggested I get a mammogram and that verified I had breast cancer. I have been currently going through chemotherapy.  Cancer does not run in my family and all the mammograms I had in the past were always 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.”

The caption went on to share more of her story, all the support she has, and a message for anyone reading the post.

“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,” the post continued. “After watching the Golden Bachelor last year that gave me hope that I could still find love in my senior years.  So continue getting your checkups, and continue to live YOUR life!”

Many of Hinton’s Instagram followers dropped into the comment section of the post to share some love and support for Dench.

“Thank you updating us on our Grandma Wanda. And thank you Grandma Wanda for sharing your story and encouraging others to get their exams,” one person wrote. Another added, “Awww. Sending you fighting strength Wanda. Jamal, are you cooking thanksgiving dinner this year for her??” (It appears that answer is yes based on his most recent IG post.)

One other follower shared, “A family is not always blood, sometimes it’s the bond. Never get tired of y’all. Sending her love.” And another said, “You have an abundance of people praying and fighting with you!! Cyber hugs to you!”