Hundreds receive food bags in memory of murder victim

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Hundreds of people took part in a food drive Saturday at the Covelli Centre in honor of a Newton Falls native who was murdered in Canton last year.

The Do A Little Extra (D.A.L.E.) Foundation, named for Dale Settle Jr., a University of Akron student who was killed while arriving for Bible study, had its first food drive in Youngstown.

Settle’s mother, Sharon Lane said event setup was planned for 11 a.m. Saturday, but by 10 a.m. the foundation was notified that more than 400 people were already in line.

“We never expected the turnout we had today. ... We had between 200 and 300 bags [of food] to give out, and there were well over 1,000 people there, most who had to be turned away, which we hated to do,” Lane wrote in an email to The Vindicator.

Last year, the foundation collected door-to-door in Canton and helped feed about 300 families for Thanksgiving, she said.

D.A.L.E encourages people to do random acts of kindness in Settle’s memory.

On Sept. 22, 2011, Settle and two friends were approached by two men, one with a gun, who demanded money. Reports say Settle was shot in the abdomen while protecting his friends and later died from his injuries.

Lane said the foundation plans to do the same thing next year and will try to accommodate the large group of people. She praised Covelli Centre staff and Youngstown police for helping with the crowd on Saturday.

“Although it was very sad to have to turn away so many people, I am grateful that we were able to help some. We did what we could, but wish it could have been more,” Lane wrote.

Information about the foundation is online at www.dalesettlejr.com.