The Salvation Army will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the $115 million Kroc Corps Community Center in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood Monday. 

Public officials, including Gov. Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, along with community members and campaign sponsors, will gather at the Kroc site to celebrate the start of construction on the 90,000-square-foot community center.

The Kroc Center is the largest social service development project in the history of Massachusetts, according to the Salvation Army.

The 6.5-acre Kroc Center campus will serve thousands of local residents and families – including more than 19,000 children – residing in the Uphams-Dudley neighborhood.

The Kroc Corps Community Center is the vision of the late Joan Kroc – widow of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc – a long-time supporter of The Salvation Army.  Mrs. Kroc saw the life-changing impact of the first center built in San Diego and left $1.5 billion in 2004 to the Salvation Army to establish and maintain educational, athletic and spiritual centers across the nation.

Boston’s Kroc Center is the only such facility to be built in the New England region.