BARRY Manilow is a lot like his creation “Mandy” – you know, the kind of person who gives “without taking.”

Come Valentine’s Day, Manilow will be giving it away in a benefit concert for Stand Up for a Cure, donating all proceeds from that Nassau Coliseum concert to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Speaking to The Post from his Palm Springs, Calif. home, Manilow joked about the frequency with which he donates his talents: “I say yes to everybody; if you ask me, I’m there.

“This concert is really important to me,” he adds seriously. “I can’t tell you how many women I know and love who’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer.”

Brooklyn-born Manilow, who studied at Juilliard and was a CBS Records mailroom slave before he hit the big time, believes he has responsibility to his fans. Especially the women, who have always melted for his love songs – and his charitable involvement with kids.

But Citizen Manilow is troubled these days.

“What bothers me most is that schools are cutting out music and drama departments,” he laments.”

It seems that’s true even in posh Palm Springs, where the local school system was cutting back on the arts. “I was upset. I saw what they were doing, so I bought them instruments to continue the music

program.”

Recalling his youth, Manilow, 65, says, “When I was growing up in Brooklyn, I don’t know what would have happened to me without the music lessons. I was a shy kid, I was an average student, but as soon as I started taking music lessons, I got better with people. My grades improved, and I found my passion.”

And that passion was for writing, performing and producing music that has an emphasis on love.

When asked about the best era for the love song, the crooner didn’t hesitate. “Oh, the ’50s,” he says. “The ’50s songwriters were just beginning to make melodies rock. The songs still had clever lyrics and gorgeous melodies.”

Those are the same elements Manilow attempts to bring to his music.

“I’ve had a career where I lucked into having sung and written some really great love songs like ‘Even Now,’ ‘This One’s for You,’ and ‘Weekend in New England.’ I think these are beautiful songs, and I’m proud to have

written them.”

He also believes his music is very romantic. “I’ll be doing as many of these songs as I can when I play the Nassau Valentines Day show.”

While Manilow is a romantic, he doesn’t kiss and tell. “I’ve got one really big surprise aimed at it being a Valentine’s Day show,” he says. “I won’t give it away, but I guarantee it will be a really romantic moment.”

For us he-men who have trouble showing our romantic, sensitive side, Barry offers a Cupid-like tip: “If you want to romance your date, try holding hands when I sing ‘Weekend in New England.’ I hear that works for most guys.”