The Wholesome Story of the Woman Who Invited a Total Stranger to Thanksgiving

Every year, millions of people get together to celebrate Thanksgiving. Everyone has their own traditions, but usually, there’s a big meal and special time between family and friends. What makes someone family, though? And is it ever too late to make new friends? According to this wholesome story, family can be anyone, and friends can come from unsuspecting places. Before we get into the details, let’s meet the people involved in the story of the woman who invited a total stranger to dinner.

Wanda, the Thanksgiving Grandma

So, who are the people at the center of this holiday tale? Well, Wanda Dench was a 59-year-old grandmother when this story began back in 2016. She lived in Mesa, Arizona in the United States along with her husband, Lonnie.

Before that, Wanda resided in a variety of states, including Idaho and Colorado. The Dench family is comprised of three children in total, along with six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Both Wanda and Lonnie have been praised for their kind hearts and friendly attitudes.

Jamal, the High School Senior

The other main character in our wholesome Thanksgiving story is Jamal Hinton. Back in 2016 when this story begins, Jamal was still in high school. Jamal was in his senior year when he first heard from Wanda Dench.

Jamal also hails from Arizona, though he lives in the state's capital, Phoenix. Jamal is in a relationship with Mikaela Grubbs, who he met in high school. He has aspirations of becoming a sports agent and has recently started his own business.

The Accidental Text

Now that we've met Wanda and Jamal, we can get into the details of how they came into each other's lives. Basically, Jamal was at work one day when he received a text message from an unknown number. The message included details of a Thanksgiving dinner, along with the time and place for the meal.

Naturally, Jamal was confused by this random message. Now, we know it was from Wanda Dench. But at the time, she was from a complete stranger.

Can I Have a Picture?

Understandably, teenage Jamal replied to this message asking who it was from. Wanda, presumably also confused, responded by saying it was his grandma. Ever the savvy teen, Jamal wasn't willing to accept this. So, he asked the unknown messenger for a picture as proof that she was indeed his grandma.

Adorably, Wanda didn't really understand this request. However, after a few back-and-forth messages over text, she eventually did send over a selfie of her face while she was at work.