When you do the right thing, something selfless and heartfelt while expecting nothing in return, you've answered the question of what does it mean to be human and live a life of meaning and purpose.

Some people are incredibly grateful for the smallest of gestures and actions to much larger ones and want to find a way to say thank you for you or someone going out of their way to make a difference for the good in the community, state, country or even across the globe.

There is a small group of Hong Kong human rights advocates who have been working with Jersey Shore Congressman Chris Smith (R - 4th District) to protect Hong Kong freedoms from Chinese government oppression, Representative Smith said in a statement.

These human rights advocates are so grateful for Congressman Smith's efforts to help them and people of Hong Kong many of whom are now living in the U.S., that they've donated 4,000 high-quality surgical masks for CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township.

Congressman Smith said that Anna Cheung, founder of New Yorkers Supporting Hong Kong and the non-government organization Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC) in Washington helped organize the donations.

“We Hong Kongers are very grateful for Congressman Smith's tireless work and support, not just for the Hong Kongers but the Chinese Dissidents, Tibetans and Uyghurs as well,” Cheung said. “We want to take this opportunity to thank Congressman Smith and the medical staff for their hard work.”

Two thousand of the masks were donated by Amanda and Johnny Ho of Freehold shown here delivering the masks on April 10 at CentraState Medical Center. (Congressman Chris Smith's Office)
Two thousand of the masks were donated by Amanda and Johnny Ho of Freehold shown here delivering the masks on April 10 at CentraState Medical Center. (Congressman Chris Smith's Office)
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Cheung said Amanda and Johnny Ho of Freehold donated 2,000 of the masks, and Andrew Duncan of New York also donated 2,000 masks to CentraState Medical Center, who was grateful for the supplies.

“Thank you to Amanda and Johnny Ho and Andrew Duncan for donating these much needed surgical masks,” Congressman Smith, who is the Senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, said. “The staff at CentraState—who like other hospitals across New Jersey and across America—is working long hours at risk to themselves to protect those stricken by COVID-19. And I know that that the international Hong Kong community—who like Americans struggle to contain this outbreak—are our good friends. They face their own struggles with the outbreak and with China. For them to show this gesture to CentraState workers is very much appreciated.”

Smith is a commissioner on the Congressional Executive Commission on China, which he chaired for two terms.

Last month, Congressman Smith was recognized by the HKDC for his efforts which led to the enactment of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, that President Donald Trump signed into law towards the end of last year.

Smith has been actively engaged in helping bring supplies and support to the Jersey Shore and beyond during the pandemic.

In March, he helped secure 41.3 million medical-grade gloves for distribution across the United States for medical professionals including nurses and doctors and to first responders after requesting the U.S. Customs and Border Protection release the massive sized shipment.

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