ARLINGTON —  If you asked, she’d give you her last dollar. That’s just the type of person she is.

Instead of splashing around in a swimming pool, Arlington High School student Kristina Flick is spending her summer collecting food and money for the Arlington Community Food Bank as part of her senior project which is due eight months from now.

“Yes, this is pretty early to start this project, but I wanted to get a good jump on it because I know that there are so many people out there who need food,” Flick said.

Her senior project, which she needs in order to graduate, requires that she put in 25 hours, but her dedication will easily surpass that number. Flick is making stops at local supermarkets in Arlington and Smokey Point.

“It’s more than a senior project for me,” she said. “I want to give back as much as I can. I believe deeply about giving back to our community.”

In 2007, the city of Arlington helped Flick’s select softball team raise more than $15,000 so that the team could attend the regional softball tournament. It’s an act she’ll never forget.

“The city did so much for our team,” she said. “We needed money and they were there to help us raise it.”

She also led a car wash fundraiser to help raise money for team jerseys and other softball equipment. The team raised a whopping $1,500.

“People are so incredibly giving,” Flick said. “It is true that people are inherently good.”

After her time setting up at supermarkets, Flick plans on dedicating the rest of her summer volunteering at the food bank. Senior project aside, she believes it is the right thing to do.

“There are so many other ways to help contribute, but I believe giving back by volunteering at the food bank is what I want to do,” she said.

So where did she get her compassion? From her parents. Standing by her side was dad John Flick. After reading about a man who had his bicycle stolen, John Flick contacted the man he’d never met and offered to give him his recently purchased new bicycle.

“We raised Kristina to be compassionate and loving,” John Flick said. “And she has taken that to heart. We couldn’t be more proud of her.”

On Aug. 3, after just two hours into her campaign at the local market, Kristina and John Flick had collected two carts of various foods and a small bucket of money donations.

“People have come by and donated $20 bills,” John Flick said. “We are amazed that people have stopped by and have talked to us about how else they can help us. We gave them a list of the types of foods to donate and they would return from the store with bags of food.”

In the spring, Flick will present her senior project using PowerPoint slides, a chart breaking down the money she raised and an overall summation of her experience to a panel of teachers.

“I am completely dedicated to this effort,” Kristina Flick said. “It has been an eye-opening experience. I am so glad that I have done it. I am looking forward to volunteering more time at the food bank.”