They did their work more than 80 years ago, and most of them have passed away. But the legacy of the men and women who petitioned, paid for and built the electric cooperative that serves your neighborhood lives on every time you turn on the lights, watch TV or charge your cellphone.

This holiday season, give thanks for the pioneers who helped bring electricity to the rural communities and farms that the big for–profit electric companies refused to serve. Perhaps your grandparents or your neighbors’ relatives were involved in collecting membership fees or signatures. Maybe you’ve heard their stories.

Thanksgiving is an appropriate time to recall their sacrifices, their pre-electricity lifestyles and their fore-sight, which laid the foundation for the at-your-fingertips electric, phone and internet services you enjoy today.

When you take your turkey out of your electric oven this season, or when you switch on your electric furnace or heat pump for the first time this fall, remember those who lived without the convenience of electricity—and that they wanted it so badly they literally took matters into their own hands.