Members of the Rotary Club of Ruidoso and district officials
Ruidoso, NM — August 8, 2026
Members of the Rotary Club of Ruidoso spent a Saturday stationed inside the local Walmart, and by the time they packed up around 3 p.m., they'd filled a school bus with backpacks, notebooks, pens, markers, folders, tissues, and every other supply on a teacher's back-to-school list — nearly $7,000 worth in all.
The event, part of the club's annual "Pack the Bus" campaign, works on simple community trust: Rotarians hand shoppers a school supply list as they walk into the store and ask them to pick up an extra item or two on their way to checkout. Area residents responded generously, and many shoppers who didn't have time to shop instead handed over cash — $930 in donations that club members then used to buy additional supplies themselves.
By the end of the day, Rotarians delivered the full haul to district officials for distribution to schools and students throughout the Ruidoso district.
"A huge thank you to our amazing community for coming out and supporting Rotary's Pack the Bus school supply drive," said Katie Kmetz, the club's service director. "Because of your incredible generosity, we were able to deliver over $7,000 worth of school supplies to our local school systems to help stock classrooms and support our teachers and students. We are so grateful to live in a community that always shows up for our kids!"
Pack the Bus isn't a one-off event for the club — it's part of a broader, standing commitment to Ruidoso's students. Each December, the club also partners with Albertsons on a food drive benefiting the Food 4 Kids program, which sends meals home with disadvantaged students over the winter holiday break, when school meal programs aren't available. Together, the two campaigns reflect the club's guiding principle of putting "service above self" into practice at the start and end of every school year.
Get involved: To learn more about the Rotary Club of Ruidoso or become a member, visit the club's Facebook page or email rotaryclubruidoso@gmail.com.