Arizona 'Thanksgiving Grandma' teams up with Airbnb to welcome strangers to her home for holiday dinner
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - An Arizona grandmother who went viral for accidentally inviting a stranger to her family's Thanksgiving dinner is opening up her home to some more guests this year.
Wanda Dench accidentally invited Jamal Hinton to Thanksgiving in 2016 when she mistakenly texted him instead of her grandson. After Hinton texted back letting her know she made a mistake, she told him he should still come over anyway.
Hinton has attended Thanksgiving dinner with Dench every year since and now, Dench is teaming up with Airbnb to invite over more people.
The so-called "Thanksgiving Grandma" is looking for two guests to eat an early holiday dinner with her and Hinton on Nov. 20 at her home in Prescott Valley.
The booking charge is $16 in honor of the year the accidental Thanksgiving tradition started. Guests will need to pay for their own travel as part of the collaboration.
"Some may recognize us from our viral text mishap that led to our first Thanksgiving together back in 2016," reads a description of the event on Airbnb's website. "And eight years later, we’re practically family. To commemorate our lasting friendship, we’re excited to become Airbnb Hosts and welcome new guests into our holiday tradition, creating meaningful connections in the process."
Arizona Thanksgiving tradition still going strong as man reunites with woman who mistakenly texted him
It all began over a wrong text that Jamal Hinton received from a woman he didn't know. That errant text, however, turned into a new Thanksgiving tradition that is still going strong, six years later.
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Airbnb will also make a donation to Feeding America.