HECTOR HINOJOSA

Born in Texas, and raised on West Texas farms, Mr. Hinojosa was driving a tractor by age 11.  But being interested in all things electronic, the decision was made to leave the farm and attend college for electrical engineering.  Starting a career at Texas Instruments and later becoming a field service engineer, Mr. Hinojosa traveled the world and lived in Europe with his family.  In 1993, after spending a year and a half in France and Italy, Mr. Hinojosa and his family moved to Vancouver, WA to fill a regional field service engineering position with Silicon Valley Group, while still continuing travels to many Asian countries.   

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After initiating Stone Soup Community Meal ("Stone Soup"), it continues 12 years later.  From discussions at Stone Soup, Mr. Hinojosa founded, in collaboration with close friends, the Community Roots Collaborative ("C-Roots"), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of building low barrier cottage home neighborhoods for the unhoused.  To date, C-Roots has successfully built 28 new homes, refurbished a 4-bedroom home, and a group home with 14 bedrooms.  With the assistance of community partners and partner organizations, who assisted with the enhanced complexities presented by some cases, C-Roots has operated with an outstanding success rate - with the third development scheduled to start in mid-2026. 

 

Mr. Hinojosa was Chair of Slow Foods Southwest Washington and was a Board Director with the Columbia River Mental Health Foundation, as well as a Board Member of Vancouver Farmers' Market.  Most recently, he joined the Board of the Mount Saint Helen's Institute and is the current Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.   

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In recognition for his positive impact in the community, Mr. Hinojosa was the recipient of the distinguished Ryan Woods Community Award, given by the Ryan Woods Grassroots Community - a nonprofit organization that supports local communities through various grassroots initiatives.