Abstract: A towel dispenser mounting system includes a mounting component; a sensor; and a dispenser. The sensor is directly attached to the wall and the dispenser is mounted to the wall through attachment of the mounting component to the wall. The dispenser contains a roll of material for dispensing towels, and the sensor is configured to detect a distance from the sensor to the roll, whereby an amount of towels to be dispensed may be calculated and/or an amount of towels already dispensed may be calculated. The sensor is located within a housing of the dispenser when the dispenser is attached to the mounting component; a back wall of the housing of the dispenser defines an opening through which the sensor is partially received. The mounting component also defines an opening through which the sensor extends. Mounting a dispenser to a wall to which a sensor is attached is also disclosed.