A grandma who accidentally invited a teenager to her Thanksgiving dinner three years ago has hosted him every year since. Wanda Dench texted Jamal Hinton in 2016, thinking he was her grandson.
When she realised she had messaged the wrong person, Hinton asked if he was still welcome at the meal - and Dench obliged.
"Can I still get a plate tho?" Hinton asked.
"Of course you can," Dench responded. "That's what grandma's do... Feed everyone."
Advert
Dench has now hosted Hinton, who is now 19, every year since.
Posting a photo of their Thanksgiving dinners on Twitter, Hinton wrote: "2016, 2017... 2018."
Speaking to the Arizona Republic last year, Dench said: "It was really nice having everybody here.
"We got to laugh about last year and reminisce about how it all blew up on our phone and how I had to change my number. We had a laugh and a good time."
Advert
In 2016, Hinton told ABC15 he had never seen Dench before and he was grateful for Dench welcoming him into her home.
"I'd never seen her before and she welcomed me into her home," he said.
"That shows me how great of a person she is, I'm thankful for people like that."
Advert
The pair's texts back-and-forth which started the whole thing were shared on social media over 200,000 times, showing the kindness that can be found in people.
"At first it was a slow trickle," Lisa, Wanda's daughter, told AZCentral.
"But then they came rushing in. I scrolled and scrolled and said to my mom: 'You've got a lot of love. We've got to make this into something.'"
Advert
Hinton is said to now have a "standing invitation" to have Thanksgiving dinner with Wanda and her family in Mesa, Arizona.
Last year, Dench even met Hinton's girlfriend. "It went great, and my new grandma seemed to love my girlfriend, so that was good," he told CNN.
"I want to go to law school and become a sports agent," he added.
Dench used to work in a legal department and hopes to give advice.
Advert
Speaking to USA Today, she said: "For him to continue with the relationship, I'm just really pleasantly surprised. We're more of extended family and, best of all, friends."
Featured Image Credit: Twitter