A New Beginning: Rayneth’s Journey of Hope and Support in Rural Kansas

Rayneth Echeverria de Medina’s first language is Spanish. 

Despite a lack of fluency in English, Rayneth and her husband made the difficult decision to leave their home in Venezuela and immigrate to rural Sabetha, Kan. 

The couple followed their son, who was the first family member to arrive in the small rural Kansas town as a student athlete. He was recruited to play baseball at Highland Community College and lived with a host family for two years. He has since graduated and is currently enrolled in Peru State College in Peru, Neb. 

Rayneth’s 24-year-old daughter, who had already earned a degree as an electrical engineer in Venezuela, now lives in Kansas City, where she is studying English. She returns to Sabetha on weekends to spend time with her parents. 

Rayneth learned about the Sabetha Community Food Pantry from her son’s host mother. “She helped bring us here and reassured us that there were places here that could help with food, which was very important to us,” she says. 

After Rayneth peruses the neatly arranged shelves, her husband carries several cardboard boxes to their car. The couple have been visiting the pantry for almost two years to stock up. With only one grocery store in town and rapidly rising prices, the staple foods they receive from the pantry has allowed the couple to save money for their future.  

“It has helped us a lot to support our family,” Rayneth says. “(Without the support), it would affect our family in a significant way because this is a super big help financially.” 

Although she has heard that a church offers a similar distribution, the time conflicts with her work schedule. 

Rayneth is thankful for the support she has received and encourages donors to “continue supporting and helping people like us that don’t have enough resources to be able to live here in the United States,” she says. “All of the support they’ve given has been very important to the entire community in Sabetha.”