The 6th annual Customer Appreciation Day will be held Thursday, Sept. 13 at Ron’s Fuel Inc., 575 South St., Athol. Owner Pamela Kingsbury, center, stands in front of a photo of her father Ronald, who with his wife, Shirley, started the business in 1986. She is flanked by customer service representatives Jaimee Briggs, left, and Lisa Elliott.  
The 6th annual Customer Appreciation Day will be held Thursday, Sept. 13 at Ron’s Fuel Inc., 575 South St., Athol. Owner Pamela Kingsbury, center, stands in front of a photo of her father Ronald, who with his wife, Shirley, started the business in 1986. She is flanked by customer service representatives Jaimee Briggs, left, and Lisa Elliott.   Credit: STAFF PHOTO/DEBORRAH PORTER

ATHOL — Ron’s Fuel Inc. is celebrating 32 years in business and its customers Thursday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. 

Pamela Kingsbury, owner of Ron’s Fuel Inc. at 575 South St., said, “We’re getting excited to celebrate this day with our customers. We want to show we appreciate them and everything they do to support us.”

Several free drawings will be held, and entry can be done at any time at the office. Prizes will include $500 of heating oil, kerosene or diesel (customer’s choice); two burner cleanings; and four gift baskets valued at more than $250. There will be free hot dogs, chips and soda served from 11 a.m to 1 p.m, and 4 to 6 p.m. DJ Dan Vinsant will entertain from 3 to 6 p.m., and there will be giveaways throughout the day.

Leo Berthiaume from The Burner Guys and Joe Chiasson from J.W. Chiasson & Son will be on hand to discuss their services, and each will also offer one of the free burner cleanings to be raffled. The winners will be announced at the end of the day. Delivery of the free fuel must be within the nine-town service area of Athol, Erving, New Salem, Orange, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Warwick and Wendell.

Representatives from the New England Farm Workers’ Council (NEFWC) and Community Action fuel assistance programs will be in attendance. NEFWC will be accepting new applications, and Community Action will be taking new account and recertification applications. Appointments are required and can be made by calling Ron’s Fuel at (978) 249-3548.

A representative from Lincoln Labs will be available to provide information on the tank guard program. Lincoln Labs offer services and products that enhance oil tank safety and protect homeowners against the high cost of oil tank replacement.

Helping neighbors

The staff at Ron’s Fuel held a special raffle recently to raise money to help 13-year-old Javan Fox and his family after Javan was hit by a pickup truck and seriously injured while riding his bicycle last month. The idea was pitched by Customer Service Representative Jaimee Briggs. Over two weeks, $1,426 was raised.

Fox remains hospitalized at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Ron’s Fuel matched $500 of it, and donations of $100 each were given by S&S Appliance and the Athol-Orange Eagles Riders. Local businesses Deja Vu, S&S Appliance and the Uptown Package Store helped sell the tickets. Peter Gabrenas of Orange was the winner of $500 worth of oil.

Ron’s currently delivers home heating oil to the towns of Athol, Erving, New Salem, Orange, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Warwick and Wendell. Kerosene and diesels are delivered to customers in the towns of Athol and Orange. Twenty-four hour emergency service is available.

For more information, visit: Ron’s Fuel at: www.ronsfuelinc.com or call 978-249-3548.