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The internet's favorite Thanksgiving tradition will mark its 10th anniversary in 2025.
Jamal Hinton confirmed that he will be spending Thanksgiving with Wanda Dench for the 10th consecutive year since a chance text message setup their viral encounter in 2016.
"Ten Thanksgivings ago, a simple text brought us together. This year, we’re celebrating a decade of friendship by partnering with @greengiant_vegetables who’ve been bringing people together for 100 years. Follow along to see how we’re celebrating #TheGiantWay. #Partner #100YearsofGreenGiant," Hinton wrote on his Instagram account.
The initial encounter between Hinton and Dench took place after Dench attempted to make plans with her own grandchildren and mistakenly texted Hinton, who she had never previously met at the time.
Dench, thinking she was texting her grandchild, identified herself as "your grandma" and sent a photo of herself, to which Hinton responded with a photo of himself before asking "Can I still get a plate tho?"
"Of course you can. That's what grandma's do...feed everyone."
Hinton was welcomed with open arms by Dench and her husband, Lonnie, at their Arizona home as photos from the Thanksgiving meetup and screenshots of their interactions were shared thousands of times on social media. In 2020, Dench hosted Hinton for the first time since her husband had died of COVID-19 complications several months prior.
"As some of you may have already found out tonight Lonnie did not make it," Hinton tweeted in April of 2020. "Wanda told me all the love and support he was receiving put a huge smile on his face, so I thank every single one of you guys for that!"
The heartwarming story has garnered massive support on social media and their story was reported to be picked up by Netflix for a feature film in 2021, though it hasn't yet been released.