Mindy Miller, of Saxonburg, went to San Antonio for the Miss for America national pageant. She stayed five days longer than planned, and spent that time helping those impacted by the winter storm that gripped the continental U.S.'s largest state.

For Saxonburg's Mindy Miller, a trip to San Antonio Feb. 10 for the Miss for America national pageant turned out to be an opportunity to help those in need.

Miller, who was supposed to depart Texas Feb. 15, said her trip was unexpectedly extended for five days by the severe winter storm that caused blackouts and loss of water and gas to millions of Texans.

Rather than spend the next days commiserating with other hotel guests about the sudden electric and water conditions, Miller, who was named Miss Butler PA for America and Miss Pennsylvania for America in 2019, decided to make the most of it.

“I decided to take a different approach, and I ended up meeting some people down there, some first responders, and I approached them and asked if there was any way I could help, anything they needed,” the single mother in her 40s said.

Miller met the first responders while they were finding rooms in the hotel or convention center for people who were left without heat, water or power. For someone who volunteers with various community organizations in Butler County, the disaster became an opportunity to help others.“I was in the right place at the right time, and met the right person, who was able to introduce me to other people,” Miller said. “It's almost like an act of fate that happened while I was there.”That was just the right question too. Miller said she went on a rescue mission in which first responders were searching for homeless people to provide them with a warm place to stay during the storm, during which temperatures reached as low as 6 degrees.At one point, she helped out at Granada Apartments, a facility for those 62 years of age and older. There, Miller said, she was able to help with food and other supplies they may have needed.“I feel bad for the seniors because they were there without heat,” she said. “I helped one woman named Gracie, who (despite having a broken hip) was one of the lucky ones because she had two space heaters in her room. But when I was there helping out, you could feel it — it was cold. I can't imagine how they were feeling.”Miller also teamed up with the San Antonio Food bank, where she and others were able to help more than 2,000 people with food, water and “anything that they had needed.”Her volunteering with the food bank was inspiring too, as the community put together help in fewer than 24 hours.“It was amazing to be a part of a community that came together so quickly to help one another,” Miller said. “Being able to see these people and help them, and hear their stories and what they're going through, I learned a lot about Texas, and I learned a lot about myself while I was down there as well.”

The conditions that drove Miller to help others were dire. In San Antonio, more than 370,000 households were left without electricity, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Miller said the roads were “a sheet of ice,” which led to even more consequences for residents.“I was able to get a ride to the grocery store the one day,” she said. “The shelves were empty; the aisles were empty. It's like we already dealt with one pandemic, and (now) I was in a whole another pandemic and disaster.”She described the storm and subsequent events as a “tragedy,” adding it was a disquieting time for both Texans and visitors from colder climates.“There was a lot of fear, a lot of uncertainty,” Miller said. “Some of us are used to that cold weather. People that are from that area, they were even more scared. I think they said the last time Texas had a winter storm was 40, maybe 50, years ago. They don't have the equipment we have here to be able to salt the road, plow the road.”Texans are still dealing with the fallout of the storm, with grocery stores not yet fully stocked and individuals who were lucky enough to have power during the blackouts facing electric bills of thousands of dollars.For many, the calamitous event was cause for alarm. But Miller was able to find — and create — some good in the situation, even as she said the hotel had no running water, ran out of food and overcharged for both rooms and food, and the city was in even more dire straits.“While some people (in the hotel from out-of-state) may have been complaining about the conditions, I felt like I was there for a reason, like I was there to help,” she said. “All that stuff aside, I knew there were people out there who were worse off than I was, so I just wanted to be able to help in any way that I could.”

Mindy Miller