Steven Matz takes some time to help children in Honduras

Steven Matz noticed the houses, made of cinder blocks, with only flimsy sheets of metal functioning as roofs. None had electricity. Only a few had running water.

"It was kind of like you imagined it," said Matz, who ventured more than 1,900 miles from his Long Island hometown of Stony Brook to Honduras, where he worked with impoverished children. "You think of these villages off on these dirt roads. It was pretty crazy to see that."

In the weeks after the franchise's run to the World Series, some of the Mets have been easy to spot around town. Matt Harvey has been a regular on the red carpet circuit. Noah Syndergaard has been a staple at various New York sporting events.

Matz has kept a lower profile than his rotation mates.

The former Ward Melville star has spent much of the offseason in Nashville, where his girlfriend lives. But from Nov. 18 to 22, he ventured to Honduras for what he called a life-altering experience.

Matz, 24, was among a contingent of about a dozen people who spent five days working in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The mission was organized through his agency, Icon Sports, which began partnering with the nonprofit Hearts 2 Honduras in 2014.

"The biggest thing for me is there's no way to artificially create the feeling that you get when you see the disparity of resources, and the disparity of things like health and well-being," said Icon Sports chief Rob Martin, who was part of the delegation. "There's also no way to artificially create the feeling that you get when you are participating in the growth factor and improving the lives of these kids."

Martin took a group of his clients last November. During that initial mission, the primary focus was beginning construction of a three-room learning center.

The old center was made of thin vinyl covering, no different from the material used for advertising signs seen on most Little League fields. The sheets were suspended by only clotheslines.

But the new learning center was built of concrete. Martin's group helped to pour the foundation last year. This year, they returned to see a community transformed. The center hosts English classes and other programs, targeted toward the children in a town known for its high incidence of violent crime.

"A lot of them aren't in school, or they've dropped out by the first or second grade, and they are on a conveyor belt to prostitution, and drug dealing and crime, and abuse," Martin said. "It was the most incredible thing to see the same kids one year later, to see just how much more vibrant they looked. Their eyes are filled with possibility."

Honduras has long been one of the most impoverished countries in Latin America, still reeling from the destruction brought by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Matz said he'd never seen anything like it.

"We all went there to try to make an impact on this community and I think we all left feeling like we were impacted," he said. "You kind of gain perspective."

This year, much of the mission was focused on interacting with local children, not only in San Pedro Sula but also at a nearby orphanage. The group included Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney, Yankees prospect Ty Hensley and Matz, who missed last year's trip because of a scheduling conflict.

"It was awesome seeing those kids so happy," said Matz, who went 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA in his rookie campaign for the Mets. "And all of us that went, we were all touched as well. It was pretty cool, the whole experience."

Matz had done youth outreach in the Dominican Republic, though not to the same extent as in Honduras. The days were spent giving away much-needed supplies and playing in impromptu Wiffle ball games.

"Steve was amazing with the kids," Martin said. "I think it was an outstanding thing for him to go down there to give himself a chance to connect himself."