Being a member-owned cooperative means supporting both reliable electric service and the long-term health of our communities.

One recent example is our participation in Alabama’s Rural Hospital Investment Tax Credit program. Through this program, Pioneer Electric Cooperative donated $20,000 each to four community hospitals, for a total of $80,000 invested in local healthcare. These funds support Vaughan Regional Medical Center in Selma, Crenshaw Community Hospital in Luverne, J. Paul Jones Rural Emergency Hospital in Camden and the Regional Medical Center of Central Alabama in Greenville.

It is important for our members to understand that these contributions do not come from electric rates or member bills. Instead, they are dollars Pioneer Electric would have paid to the State of Alabama in taxes anyway. The tax credit program simply allows us to redirect those funds back into the communities we serve, where they can make a real and immediate difference.

That same commitment to keeping dollars local is reflected in another program our members know well: Operation Round Up. Since 2021, Operation Round Up has donated more than $145,000 to individual members facing urgent circumstances, including medical emergencies, house fires and other unexpected hardships. 

As a reminder, Operation Round Up funds do not come from electric rates. They are donated separately and voluntarily by members who choose to round their monthly bill up to the nearest dollar.

Whether it is reinvesting tax dollars into rural hospitals, supporting members in crisis or funding local organizations, Pioneer Electric remains focused on strengthening the communities we serve. When our communities thrive, our cooperative thrives, too.