A mistaken text connected them. Now they’ve become one of America’s favorite Thanksgiving traditions

CNN Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton met at the intersection of a wrong number and a bold invitation A decade later they re still celebrating Thanksgiving together and their unlikely friendship continues to inspire It started with a text Dench meant to send to one of her six grandchildren inviting them to Thanksgiving dinner in Then a -year-old high school senior Hinton opened the text skeptical it could have come from his own grandmother who was not all that technologically savvy He inquired for a photo and when Dench sent him a selfie clearly not of his grandma he replied with a selfie of his own and a cheeky question When Hinton requested if he could still have a Thanksgiving plate Dench didn t hesitate She offered him a seat at her family table After all what are grandmothers for The exchange went viral and when Americans heard Hinton had in fact spent that Thanksgiving with Dench and her family they ate it up My grandkids were teasing me that we should take system away from grandma because she doesn t know how to use it properly Dench commented But it wasn t my fault My grandson was the one who changed his phone number and Jamal ended up with it The internet masses fleetly dubbed Dench Thanksgiving Grandma But this was no one-time viral stunt The pair has since celebrated every Thanksgiving side by side save for last year when Dench was battling breast cancer As she powered through therapy last year Hinton FaceTimed her for a virtual Thanksgiving celebration Catching up with the pair has become an annual good news story For a decade now the pair has made headlines for their quirky friendship which has seen them through love loss and countless pumpkin pies A tradition is born The populace was hungry for their own seat at the table right from the start Jamal disclosed when he pulled up to Wanda s house that first Thanksgiving he could barely find a parking spot with all the reporters and camera crews who had driven in for the day We couldn t eat without someone asking us a question It was crazy but it was still amazing It s a beautiful home a beautiful family Hinton revealed recalling how Dench s late husband Lonnie sought him question after question about his life The cameramen may have yearned a photo opp but Lonnie was eager to really get to know their new guest Dench s homemade dinner was a hit Hinton commented he wasn t much of a pumpkin pie person until he tried hers I m all about the dessert Dench reported Back then America was changing Donald Trump had just defeated Hilary Clinton in the electoral process The Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum as hundreds marched through the streets to protest police brutality The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series in more than years and Taylor Swift feuded with Kanye West The nation has seen major changes since then and so have Hinton and Dench Dench recalled something her husband recounted her after coming home from a night shift about a year before he died of complications from COVID- in He woke me up and he revealed he had a message for me from God Dench commented He stated God s not done with you and Jamal yet He explained to his wife that America needed healing and the two were being used as tools to help heal the country I didn t quite understand what he was saying at the time but I took it to heart revealed Dench Reading the comments about how their story has touched people each year has been a bliss she disclosed I didn t intend it I didn t do it on purpose It s just a blessing she added Lending encouragement As the world grappled with the loss and uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic and Dench mourned the loss of her husband Hinton was there to lend his assistance The first Thanksgiving celebration without Lonnie in was a small gathering with a scant close family members and Hinton Dench announced it helped to be around family with good food and good advocacy We had placed a plate on our dining room table with a candle representing my husband being there in spirit she explained And then every year after that it got easier Together they ve kept alive old traditions like going around the table each year to share what they re thankful for Dench commented her answer is the same every year Her family which now includes Hinton They ve also created new traditions A insufficient Thanksgivings ago they stayed up until a m playing board games Now games are as much a part of their annual tradition as turkey But the unlikely duo s fortuitous kinship now extends far beyond late November Growing together When Dench was ready to get her first tattoo she called Hinton to ask for a recommendation on where to go He did one better and accompanied her to the appointment She got three shooting stars to represent her late husband mother and father It was really exciting That was fun Dench declared Hinton now says he s come a long way from the self-described know-it-all he was at when he and Dench first met I feel like I know very little in the world and I m just open and willing to listen and learn from anyone now he explained Hinton now works as a business owner and sales director but he s majority of proud of his role as a youth basketball coach I never envisioned myself being the coach A genuine friendship This year it s Hinton s turn to host They ll be celebrating at his aunt s home in Phoenix and Dench who is in much better wellbeing will be in attendance She declared she s eager to meet Hinton s family for the first time and thank them for raising such a wonderful person Growing up my favorite moments were on Thanksgiving because I knew that my whole family was coming over to my grandmother s house and I was gonna see all my cousins my aunts my uncles Hinton explained CNN on Wednesday He was heading over to Dench s house to prepare a surprise the two have up their sleeves for their families this year though they didn t want to give it away beforehand Their celebration this year is sponsored by Green Giant a canned and frozen vegetables brand that will be catering their dinner Hinton got out of cooking once again Dench noted I think it s a challenge of mine now to somehow not cook every year Hinton joked Dench says she could never have imagined a text to the wrong number would end with major media interviews and a brand sponsorship The two even have a Netflix film about their friendship in the works Dench and Hinton noted they aren t quite sure why people have become so attached to their story The only thing I can imagine is our friendship is genuine It s not fake Dench mentioned If all the media went away and all the hoopla went away we would still meet together for Thanksgiving every year