On November 18, the cafeteria at Dartmouth High School was transformed into a mattress store showroom, with dozens of mattresses and informational brochures on display for patrons to purchase.

It was a part of a mattress sale fundraiser to benefit the Dartmouth School Music Association. Organized by Custom Fundraising Solutions, the company offered its selection of name-brand mattresses at steep discounts not found at furniture stores.

Owner of the Providence location Jason Glander said savings are made possible because the company has no advertising budget. Instead, schools reach out to the company to help run the event, but schools handle promotion and advertising.

The mattress sale fundraiser movement was born in Cleveland, Ohio ten years ago. Since then, Custom Fundraising Solutions has spread to 75 locations across the country and raised more than $25 million for students, Glander said.

The idea was simple: combine fundraising with a sale for something community members need.

“At any time, ten percent of the population is looking to buy a new mattress,” Glander said. “We wanted to capitalize on that.”

An hour after opening, Christine and Michael Hubert settled on a Cooper mattress after their grandson Cooper picked it out.

“It has his name on it so it’s a done deal,” Christine said. She said she saw the event on Facebook, and after putting off a decision to buy a new mattress for so long, wanted to help their children’s alma mater.

Funds raised through the sale will benefit the Dartmouth High marching band, color guard, and indoor percussion programs. That could include bus transportation to events, maintenance on band vehicles, costumes, and other purchases student musicians need.

“It gets more expensive every year,” Jones said. “We need $100,000 a year.”