SYRACUSE -- If you're heading to the grocery store in the next of couple of days searching for the perfect ham, be prepared to shell out a few more dollars.
The price of ham is on the rise.
On the wholesale level, ham is selling for about 75 cents a pound this spring, which is in line with last year. But that price is well above the average 55 cents per pound price in the previous five years.
We hit area grocery stores Thursday night to find the cheapest prices.
At the Wegmans in DeWitt, a pound of ham will cost you between $1.99 and $7.49.
Just down the road, the Tops Market on East Genesee Street is selling ham for $1.59-$3.99 per pound.
At the Price Chopper on Erie Boulevard in Syracuse, a pound of ham costs between $1.29 and $3.99.
The Rescue Mission is Syracuse said the price of ham can make it difficult to plan its annual Easter dinner.
This year, more than 200 people are expected to eat the free meal on Sunday and volunteers have been preparing all week.
"It does cost a little bit extra to do the turkeys, to do the hams, to do all the potatoes," said Alan Thornton, Chief Operations Officer of the Rescue Mission.
Thornton said there's enough ham for dinner on Sunday, thanks entirely to donations.
In fact, the Rescue Mission has just about everything it needs for Easter dinner -- only needing a few more pies.
Dinner starts at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Rescue Mission.
Are you going to buy a ham for Easter? How much did you spend? Where's the cheapest ham you could find?
