We are mere days away from welcoming 2020 into the Carolinas. Looking to give back more in the New Year? Here are 6 New Year’s resolution ideas to make your community — and yourself — even better.

Say “yes” to love

Which means: Adopt a fur baby. It’s been so fun tallying up donations for the Humane Society of Charlotte and the Charleston Animal Society through our #PawsForAPepsi campaign. Want to create a more love-filled home while supporting a shelter dog in the Carolinas? Visit your local shelter. It’s worth it.

Do something cultural that you’ve never done before

Especially if there’s a Ferris Wheel involved. If you’ve never been to the N.C. State Fair, 2020 is the year to do it. One of our favorite parts of the fair this year was the Homegrown Music Fest (we love the arts), which showcased a tribute band, a quartet, a country band and more. As sponsors, we were also happy to be part of a fair that has a nonprofit component — attendees were encouraged to donate cans of food for Food Lion Hunger Relief Day in exchange for free entry tickets. Don’t miss out Oct. 15-25, 2020.

Go on an adventure

Sometimes you just need a change of scenery to refresh your perspective. Plan a road trip through the Carolinas and do a good deed along the way. It could be as simple as stopping along a scenic highway to pick up trash and benefit the environment. Check out our Pepsi Summer Road Trip for inspiration.

Explore your inner creativity

There are endless ways to find creative inspiration just by supporting the arts, whether you attend a concert by a local artist, take a museum tour or pop into a shop featuring crafts by local artisans. This year, we enjoyed the chance to celebrate many art forms at once by supporting the 15th Artisphere festival. This event, which spotlighted visual, culinary and performing arts with demos, shows and exhibits returns to Greenville, SC May 8-10, 2020.

Get in shape with charity walks and runs

It’s hard to find a race that doesn’t benefit charitable partners with registration proceeds. This fall, Pepsi sponsored The Walk for Hope in Raleigh, which supported research for mental illnesses including anxiety disorders and PTSD with more than $535K in fundraising. The day also featured a 5K run, so keep an eye out for the 2020 event, and start training!

Learn to bake something new

A Pepsi Round Cake, perhaps? We shared this special dish in our August recipe list. Don’t forget to drop it off to a neighbor later. That’s what Southern hospitality is all about.

Ingredients

• 1 Box chocolate cake mix (your preference)
• 1 Box chocolate instant pudding mix
• 1 Can Pepsi
• 3/4 c. Applesauce
• 4 Large eggs
• Frosting (your preference)

Bake it:

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a round cake pan that holds 10-15 cups. In a bowl, stir together the cake mix and pudding. Blend the soda, applesauce and eggs. Add the batter to the pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with no crumbs (about 40-45 minutes). Let cool, then add frosting.

This recipe was inspired by CookPad.com.

No matter what you choose to do, turn this new year into something good.