By David Cruz 

Mother Teresa has long been regarded as a humanitarian, ailing the sick, traveling to Third World countries and instilling a sense of dignity to the less fortunate.

She passed away in 1997. Should she have been alive today she would have been celebrating her 104th birthday on September 5.

In the spirit of her humanitarian efforts, and in honor of her birthday, a food drive is sponsored by Councilman Andy Cohen urging everyone to demonstrate a sense of giving by donating nonperishable items beginning today through August 29th.

“A small donation can make a big difference,” said Cohen.

Dry soups, canned vegetables, rice, powdered milk, spam, packaged pasta, baby formula, baby food and cereal are preferred food items. They can be dropped off to Cohen’s office at 3636 Waldo Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights, where they’ll later be shuttled to St. Frances of Rome in Wakefield.

The Roman Catholic Church is known for its weekly food pantry, servicing over 1,000 people monthly. Each Friday, several dozen Bronxites often line out the door for food.

“The demand for food has risen substantially over the last couple of years,” said Patrick McCaffery, co-director of the pantry, adding Cohen’s drive is “wonderful.”

The volume of food stock is always a common problem for the pantry, said McCaffery, who has noticed an uptick in the number of fresh faces arriving to the pantry.

“Whatever food we get goes,” said McCaffery, adding the level of need fluctuates throughout the year. The holidays often are the busiest, though McCaffery admits the support is just enough for the pantry to remain open.

Still, Cohen emphasized locals should “do everything we can as a community to ensure that our food pantries are not forced to open their doors with the bare minimum on their shelves.”

Cohen’s office hours run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.