The Salvation Army was founded in 1865, when William Booth was called by God to declare war on poverty, misery and sin in one of East London's most infamous boroughs. Initially it was called the Christian Mission, but shortly afterwards, at the end of 1878, it became known as the "Salvation Army". Since then the work has grown greatly and is now spread all over the world. One of the Salvation Army's mottos is "Together, Serving Others". Desiring to serve the Portuguese people, the Salvation Army officially began its work in Portugal on the 25th of July 1971. Since then it has developed continuously and is now deployed from north to south of the country: Porto, Castelo Branco, Sintra, Lisbon , arriving in São Brás de Alportel (Algarve) in 1990.

At the moment, the Salvation Army works in 132 countries. Since its origins, the Salvation Army has been guided by an active role in the communities where it is inserted, always seeking to have a relevant presence, fighting inequalities and thus contributing to a more fair.