a hands - free paper towel dispenser including a housing with a front cover that is pivotable between open and closed positions . a sensing mechanism is disposed entirely within the interior space of the cabinet at a location adjacent to the front cover and is oriented toward the front cover of the cabinet to permit detecting of an object adjacent the front cover without the object contacting the front cover . at least a portion of the sensing mechanism is accessible when the front cover is at the open position . a dispensing mechanism is disposed within the housing for dispensing a length of towel , with the dispensing mechanism including a drive roller and a motor in driving engagement with the drive roller . the dispenser also includes an electric power source for powering operation of the dispenser .