The Panhandle Disaster Relief Fund at Amarillo Area Foundation has been in place since 2006 and has been used numerous times to offer financial assistance, especially from devastation due to wildfires. This week, AAF contributed $200,000 to the Panhandle Disaster Relief Fund. The goal is to help meet the challenges this crisis has placed on nonprofits across the Panhandle, especially in at-risk communities.

“Stay at home” is not as easy as it sounds. Social distancing and self-isolation during a pandemic has created problems. The virus rebels; people who can’t stay home are venturing out to buy groceries, gas up their cars, or just wander around to see what’s happening. Then there are those who are unaware of what’s going on. A young man on our street threw a big party last Saturday night. Avoiding people who are not practicing good behavior during the pandemic is easy. Staying at home is not. Those of us who are following best practices by not going out have problems, including boredom and restlessness. Here are a few suggestions for killing time while you hunker down:

Globally, the World Health Organization has confirmed 207,860 cases and 8,657 deaths, as of Wednesday evening. In the United States, there have been at least 8,017 cases of the coronavirus confirmed by lab tests and 143 deaths, with COVID-19 now confirmed in all 50 states, as reported by The New York Times. According to a report in The Texas Tribune, there are at least 95 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two deaths in Texas. There are likely more unconfirmed cases, given that there are examples of community spread and limited testing capacity.