Just Two Boring People gaining momentum

By some accounts, Teddy and Allison Munz could be considered a boring couple. He is a high school teacher. She is a Center City hair stylist. They enjoy a quiet life in South Jersey.

Over the last few months, their lives have been anything but boring. They have been on a whirlwind mission that has inspired relatives, friends, and strangers to join their quest to help those less fortunate.

Their charity, aptly named "Just Two Boring People," has taken on a life of its own. The purpose, says Teddy, is simple: to help people be better human beings.

"It doesn't take a whole lot of effort to make an impact," says Teddy Munz, 34, who teaches freshman English at Timber Creek High School in Erial. "Anybody can do it."

On Thanksgiving, Teddy, also a fitness instructor, will teach a boot camp at Royal Fitness in Barrington to solicit gift card donations for their next charitable project. Allison Munz, 31, will help boost the cause by teaching a yoga class Dec. 8 at City Sports on Walnut Street in Center City.

Under their "Adopt a Family" campaign, they hope to make Christmas holiday dreams come true for struggling families in South Jersey and Philadelphia. Each family has submitted a wish list and volunteers are trying to fulfill their modest requests, mostly toys, clothing, and groceries.

"It is something that has lifted a huge weight off of me," said Danielle, a Camden County mother of two who asked that her last name not be used. "There was not going to be a Christmas in my house."

Danielle said she wept when she got a telephone call from Teddy, a stranger, informing her that her family had been adopted by the Meadow View Nursing Center in Williamstown. Her wish list includes Nike gear for her son, and diapers and educational games for her 20-month-old daughter.

"I've heard of good things happening to people in need. I honest to God never thought I would be that girl," she said.

The Munzes selected seven families, who were nominated by neighbors, friends, and coworkers. Their wish lists were then passed on to volunteers - groups, businesses, families, and individuals. The goal is to collect enough gift cards from Shop Rite and Target stores to meet the demand.

The owners of Coppola Pizza in Laurel Springs donated a Shop Rite card after Connie Coppola learned about the drive. The family-owned eatery is a drop-off location for donations.

"I just thought what they were doing was really great," said Coppola, 32. "It was such a simple idea but yet it is making such an impact."

Teddy and Allison had long been interested in volunteer work but had difficulty finding the right fit. Both volunteered briefly at the Animal Adoption Center in Lindenwold last year, but opportunities with other charities never materialized.

"We were trying to help and give our time, but we weren't getting anywhere," Teddy recalled. "We kept getting doors slammed in our faces."

After a relative jokingly quipped that the couple were "just two boring people," they began using that as a hashtag to post their photos on social media. From that, their charity effort was born - first, a sandwich drive - and "it just began snowballing," Allison said.

The couple met three years ago in Lucy's Hat Shop, a bar in Old City. Teddy claims that Allison, a stylist at Adolf Biecker, exclaimed "Wowzers!" when he walked past her. She has a slightly different version, but admitted telling herself at the end of the night, "I just met my future husband."

Three weeks after the couple tied the knot in Cape May in September, they began planning their first project: feeding the homeless in Philadelphia. They posted it on Facebook, and used Instagram to solicit donations and recruit volunteers.

The response was overwhelming. They would find bags of donations piled up outside their Blackwood condo when they came home from work.

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox & Roach Realtors in Turnersville offered storage space and the office became command central for a massive operation.

"It really hit home with me," said Pat Bianchini, the office administrator. "I know too many people who are a paycheck away from being there."

Volunteers made more than 500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that were distributed in October, along with bottles of water to the homeless in Philadelphia in LOVE Park and outside the Central Library of the Free Library. Their supply was depleted within minutes.

"It was really humbling," said Elyse Fidelis, 25, of Washington Township, who helped pass out sandwiches. "People were so grateful."

So they organized a second drive and collected donations for more sandwiches and warm winter clothing for Operation "Bags of Hope."

"There's definitely a part of us that feels good about doing this," Allison said last week. "It fills a void that nothing else can."

Volunteers again hit the streets of Philadelphia this month with hundreds of care packages for the homeless - a blanket, a coat, a sweatshirt, a hat, gloves and a scarf, and toiletries. Each also received a loaf of bread, and jars of peanut butter and jelly.

The leftover donations, which included a year's supply of peanut butter and jelly, were dropped off at Mercy Hospice, a shelter in the city for homeless women and children.

"I was overwhelmed to see the amount of bags," said Yvonne Branch, Mercy's program director. "It was just wonderful."

The volunteers credit Teddy and Allison for inspiring them to want to help others. The couple plan to launch their next project after a belated honeymoon to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, next month. The mission, a tattoo party still in the planning stages, will benefit a South Jersey boy who has leukemia.

"There's nothing special about us," Allison insisted.

"We're just two boring people," added Teddy. "Anyone can duplicate this."

Teddy Munz will teach a Thanksgiving boot camp at Royal Fitness, 50 E. Gloucester Pike, Barrington, at 9:15 a.m. Thursday to benefit needy families. The cost is a gift card for Shop Rite or Target, $10 minimum requested.

For more information, go to Teddy Munz's Facebook page or Just Two Boring People on Instagram, or call 856-857-4042.EndText