Louis Williamson, age 13, of Cleveland, Ohio, for his question:

HOW DO FOOD STAMPS WORK?

The food stamp program is a United States government plan to help low income families buy more and better food than they normally could afford. It serves people receiving welfare aid and others with low incomes.

The food stamp program was established by the Food Stamp Act of 1964. It is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture through state and local welfare and public assistance agencies.

Persons apply to join the program at area welfare or public assistance offices. For a household to be eligible, it must have an income below a specified level. Its members must live together and buy food together.

Each participating household gets a certain number of food stamps, depending on its size. The amount paid for the stamps depends on the income. Households with no income get the stamps free.