Staying connected with their kids is something many parents strive for, especially when they are freshmen. For most of you, it will be their first time living away from home. If your child’s first birthday is coming up, you can surprise them by sending them a cake. Sometimes, a reminder from home is all it takes to brighten their days, and cakes treats and care packages are the perfect way to send a specialized gift to show you’re thinking about them. But how do you do it from afar?
Purdue Dining (the people who run the dining courts) have Boiler Baskets, which are custom gift baskets that debuted in 2021 that are popular among students, staff, parents and alumni. These come in a variety of themes and price points and can be delivered to a student’s residence hall. You provide the student, location and personalized message and they’ll handle the rest! They also deliver cakes/ cupcakes deliveries straight to the dorm. For cakes, you need to place your order 8-10 days in advance. They will also ask you to write a 250 words letter and they will print it and deliver it with the cake You can select and send a Boiler Basket or cake here.
Another popular option is Baked by Brittaney, a bakery owned and operated by Brittaney Munday, a Purdue graduate. Having started as a home bakery and an Instagram page, the business expanded to an off-campus Purdue building, and finally opened last year at Northwestern Avenue. It is located next to Another Broken Egg on the first floor of Seng-Liang Wang Hall, near the PFCU Bank branch. They also deliver to the dorm rooms.
For those struggling (like I did) to find an eggless cake- I recommend The Frozen Oreo Ice Cream Cake– available to purchase immediately at Meijer or the West Lafayette Walmart. One cake can give around 7-8 slices. Walmart also offers same-day delivery but I am not sure if will arrive in the right condition since it’s a frozen ice cream cake. It has to be kept in the upper freezer compartment (not the lower one of your fridge) so make sure your residence hall has one available. It will not fit in a typical dorm room mini-fridge. You might need to ask a friend of your kid to take an Uber to collect it. I bought two of these for my son’s 18th birthday party that he celebrated right after BGR with his new friends and they all loved it. Walmart also has many normal (i.e. not egg-free) cakes to choose from which dont require a refrigerator.
You can also order a cake for your kid’s birthday from Meijier (the supermarket chain) via the DoorDash app. There will be little or no lead time if you choose from their ready selection. Custom cakes have to be pre-ordered. If you want a cake with a Purdue logo, this is the place to order as is is Purdue’s preferred vendor.
Cold Stone Creamery (338 State St; Tel- (765) 838-2210) has a selection of cakes which are ready and you can also pre-order. They also do delivery.
Finally, follow the Townie Moms facebook page- a few times in the year, they will have a TREAT PACKAGE that you can pre-order and they will deliver to your child.
Ensure you specify the correct address for sending a care package to a student living in University Residences
For Residence Halls;
Student Name
Name of Residence,
Room/Box #
Street Address
West Lafayette, IN 47906
For Apartments (Hilltop or UR Boiler Apartments)
Student Name
Street Address and Apartment #
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Visit here for mailing addresses of residence halls and URBA locations.