Amid Cancun trip backlash, Sen. Ted Cruz volunteers for storm recovery efforts in Houston

AUSTIN, Texas — Days after leaving for--and returning from--a controversial Cancun vacation in the midst of a deadly winter storm in Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz was spotted volunteering his time for storm relief efforts in Houston.

According to KTRK, Cruz served barbecue to firefighters and law enforcement officers on Saturday along with staff from a local radio station.

Cruz also shared photos on social media of him loading bottled water into cars.

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Those are much different than the controversial images of Cruz that began circulating on Twitter, showing him on a flight to Cancun, Mexico, last Wednesday as the state he represents suffered through a deadly winter storm, ravaging residents with power and water outages.

The outrage prompted Cruz to return to Texas the next day, saying the trip was "obviously a mistake" and that "in hindsight, I wouldn't have done it."

He had originally planned to stay through the weekend in Mexico, but said he realized he needed to be in Texas.

In an earlier statement, Cruz said that he accompanied his family to Cancun a day earlier after his daughters asked to go on a trip with friends, given that school was canceled for the week.

“Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon,” Cruz wrote.

KTRK reports that on Sunday, Cruz and his wife, Heidi, were scheduled to help remove carpet and material from homes damaged by burst pipes.

"Teddy and Heidi are kind, good people and I am so broken to see how badly they've been treated," said a resident the Cruzes were due to assist. "I don't know anything about politics, but I do know real good people, and they are good people."