LATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) — North Colonie Central Schools had a special visit from New York Giants running back Matt Breida for National School Breakfast Week. The week-long awareness event encourages schools to adopt new breakfast serving models to feed more children and combat food insecurity.

Breida said school breakfast programs helped him make it to where he is today.

“I think that what you guys are doing is awesome because I feel like breakfast is a very important meal of the day, and that helped me stay in school,” he said. “Because when I started to eat in school, I wanted to be at school more. Instead of skipping school with my friends, I wanted to go to school and learn.”

According to the Food Research and Action Center, school breakfast is linked to improved test scores and academic achievement and has also been known to reduce tardiness and discipline issues.