(ABC 6 News) – As part of National School Breakfast Week, Gov. Tim Walz (DFL-Minn.) highlighted Minnesota’s free school meals program on Friday morning at Fridley Middle School.

“There’s no worry that your account’s empty or your parents filled out the right paperwork, and there’s folks that are in here eating those meals,” said Walz.

The governor says more than four million more meals went to Minnesota students last fall than in 2022, a 37% increase for breakfast and 15% increase for lunches. .