Oops … wrong number! A Phoenix-based grandmother accidentally sent a Thanksgiving invitation to a complete stranger and now their conversation has gone viral.
According to local TV station KPHO, Phoenix high school senior Jamal Hinton was in class on Monday, November 14, when he received a puzzling text from a number he didn’t recognize.
“Thanksgiving dinner is at my house on Nov. 24 at 3:00pm. Let me know if you’re coming. Hope to see you all,” the text read. “Of course that includes Amanda & Justin.”
Hinton asked, “Who is [this]..” to which the number replied, “Your grandma,” accompanied by a grandma emoji.
“Grandma? Can I have a picture?” Hinton — who was not entirely sure that it was his actual grandmother — requested.
The grandma in question, a woman by the name of Wanda Dench, then sent a selfie which confirmed that she was in no way related to Hinton. Hinton then sent a selfie back and wrote, “You not my grandma.”
However, he jokingly asked if he could still stop by on Turkey Day: “Can I still get a plate tho?”
Dench generously replied, “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do … feed everyone.”
The pair recounted the heartwarming exchange during a Wednesday, November 16, interview with KPHO.
“She said that I can have a plate and that I’m actually invited now,” Hinton said. “With all the Donald Trump going on and all the racial comments going on, it’s kind of good to see there’s still good people out there.”
Added Dench: “I just went with my gut and said, ‘Sure, Grandmas feed everybody.’”
Naturally Hinton posted screen grabs of his texts with Dench to Twitter. Since Monday, their conversation has been shared on social media more than 160,000 times.
“I started getting these texts saying, ‘Can I come too, Grandma? Do you have an extra plate for me?’” Dench said, adding that she had no idea her invitation had been seen by so many people. “And they were just starting to roll in and I’m like, ‘What is going on?’”
The duo met in person on Wednesday evening and Dench reiterated to Hinton that he, as well as his family, are more than welcome to celebrate Thanksgiving with her this year. Needless to say, Hinton happily accepted.
