Laura is the creativity, brains and heart behind The Cake Detective. She uses her baking and decorating talents to whip up incredible personalized birthday cakes for tamariki in need in the Waikato.
Who can get a cake?
Set up in late 2019, The Cake Detective takes orders and requests from a number of organization’s in the Waikato that work with vulnerable tamariki, including Kids in Need , Parentline, Oranga Tamariki, Women’s Refuge and Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. She is also happy to take referrals from social workers or any other agency that works with children going through a tough time.
Laura says the tamariki she bakes for have often experienced neglect, abuse, serious illness or family violence. She says her cakes are created to send a message of hope, love and solidarity to those who receive them:
“We see you. We care about you.
You matter.
You deserve love and happiness.”
What does the process look like?
Ideally there is at least a week’s notice between the referral and the actual birthday, but Laura also knows emergency placements can happen, and that shouldn’t stop a young person from celebrating their birthday.
Once the referral is received, The Cake Detective’s creative process begins! The referral form from agencies include details of what that tamariki loves e.g. Is it Frozen, Cars, a favourite animal? Laura pays close attention to these details, wanting to make sure the cake is as special to that tamariki as it can be, so they know it’s been made just for them.
Ngā mihi The Cake Detective!
Laura is an amazing example of how people can use their skills and talents to benefit and support the care community and those in need.
If you’d like to nominate a young person in the Waikato region for a cake, please click here, or if you’d like to support Laura and The Cake Detective mahi, you can click here to donate.
