LeTourneau University student Jonathan Mathew bags the snack "Texas Trash" to get it ready for sale while volunteering over spring break at Heartisans Marketplace in Longview on Monday, March 9, 2020. (Michael Cavazos/ News-Journal Photo)

LeTourneau University students are spending spring break serving people around the world and at home in Longview.

About 100 students left Friday for mission trips, according to the university. Despite growing fears about the new coronavirus, they traveled to San Luis Potosi, Mexico; South Padre Island; Colorado; Ohio; Indiana; and Utah.

The spring break service is not required, but an option the university provides students.

Students also started a week of local service on Monday at Heartisans Marketplace.

The group was helping with some spring cleaning in the Heartisans Marketplace trailer. They also helped with bagging up “Texas Trash,” a snack made and sold at the store.

Heartisans Marketplace is a nonprofit gift shop in downtown Longview. The store profits are used to help women get job training and find work.

Jonathan Mathews, 19, chose to stay local for his spring break service.

“It’s really just an opportunity for us to get out and do some service, because we’ve been doing too much homework,” he said. “It’s nice to get out and get some fresh air.”

Blane Busti, 20, said the group that remained in Longview also will be volunteering at the Longview Public Library, the Longview Museum of Fine Arts and other places during the week.

Julia Gray, 20, said she chose to stay behind to be part of what service already is happening in Longview.

“Part of the mission of this specific outreach is building relationships with people in the community with a view of being able to join them more long term,” she said, “and just really be able to see what people are already doing.”

For Mathews, part of why he enjoys volunteering with Heartisans Marketplace is its creativity, he said.

“I love the fact that they make so many things,” he said. “I’ve never been much of an artist. Coming here, it inspires me how much you can do with things, and I just like to help.”

The mission of Heartisans Marketplace is special to Busti, he said.

“From what I looked into, Heartisans seems to be reaching out to women to help give them the ability to make something out of themselves, either because they couldn’t get somewhere in their life or countless situations,” he said. “What I appreciate is they take time helping them to see that they have value in God, and also they can use that value to help other people while being helped themselves.”