Liz Ellis’ winnings for Share the Dignity from I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! have made a positive impact, providing a Northern Rivers flood-affected community with access to free period products.
It was Liz Ellis’ candidness that captured the heart of Australians and saw her be crowned as the 2023 winner of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!.
Contestants competed to win $100,000 which was donated to their charity of choice, or in Liz Ellis’ case to Share the Dignity, a charity working to bring dignity to those who would otherwise go without period products.
With a portion of the winnings Share the Dignity has installed a Dignity Vending Machine in Northern Rivers to ensure the flood-affected community has dignified access to period products.
Share the Dignity’s Dignity Vending Machines dispense free period packs at the push of a button containing six tampons and two pads to ensure those doing it tough can manage their period with dignity.
The Dignity Vending Machine has been installed in Wollongbar Community Village which is a flood recovery village with pods for locals who were unable to return home because of flood damage. The community is fairly isolated, and many residents don’t have vehicles due to the 2022 floods.
Liz Ellis was elated to see the Dignity Vending Machine making a difference in Northern Rivers and was honoured to be able to name the machine Evelyn after her daughter.
“I chose Share the Dignity after I came across them whilst researching period products for my daughter. It broke my heart to discover that there are women and girls out there who simply do not have access to period products,” Ms Ellis said.
“Every time I felt myself struggling in the jungle, I found extra reserves by imagining the difference that extra Dignity Vending Machines would make to the lives of people who were struggling to make ends meet.
“To know that my time in the jungle can have a direct impact in my own community, where there are still so many people who are deeply affected by the 2022 floods gives me a huge amount of satisfaction and joy.”
Share the Dignity installed the first Dignity Vending Machine in 2016 and now 722 have been installed in community groups, refuges, homeless hubs and other areas of high need across Australia.
Each Dignity Vending Machine is programmed with a delivery delay of 10 minutes or 3 minutes in schools to ensure no period packs are wasted.
Share the Dignity Founder and Managing Director, Rochelle Courtenay, said she was incredibly grateful to Liz Ellis, for not only choosing Share the Dignity, but for using her voice to speak about the realities of period poverty on national TV.
“No one should have to use rolled-up toilet paper, newspaper or socks to manage their period, which is why I am so grateful that Liz Ellis’ I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! winnings have allowed us to install a Dignity Vending Machine in Northern Rivers,” Ms Courtenay said.
“I’m so grateful to Liz, not only for choosing Share the Dignity as her charity of choice when she braved the jungle, but for speaking up for those experiencing period poverty. By shedding a light on the realities of what people are experiencing here in Australia we can remove the shame and stigma surrounding periods and work towards ending period poverty.”
Those wanting to support Share the Dignity this March can fill out their Bloody Big Survey on periods to help Share the Dignity advocate for change, and/or donate period products to their March Dignity Drive to provide period products to those experiencing period poverty. For more information visit www.sharethedignity.org.au.
