Photo courtesy of Danny Walker
2020 was a big year for Omaha LoCo Delivery driver Danny Walker.
After getting married in August, he bought a home for his family in October, followed by the birth of his son in November. Later that year, he made a career change and submitted a driver application with Omaha LoCo Delivery based on a recommendation from a friend.
Walker says he started driving for LoCo during the Douglas County Meal Program, which resulted in the delivery of 7,000 restaurant-prepared meals to Omaha families. Funded by a grant from the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, the meal program ran from December 2020 to February 2021 and fed more than 30,000 people.
As he made deliveries, Walker says the number of people who needed food opened his eyes to the effects of food insecurity in Omaha.
“You saw how many needed help because there would be people in cars around the block waiting for meals,” Walker says. “You actually realized how this pandemic has impacted people and how they needed help, and still do.”
The father of a 9-year-old and an 8-month-old, Walker says he enjoys driving for LoCo due to the flexible schedules.
He says he especially likes working the morning shift, which allows him afternoons off to spend with family.
“It’s really nice,” Walker says. “I have a lot of free time to be with my kids. This is the age you want to be home with your kids.”
Walker takes a photo with his family: wife Alison, 9-year-old daughter Dani, and 8-month-old son Jackson. Photo courtesy of Danny Walker
An Omaha native, Walker says he is grateful that LoCo cares about the community and pays drivers well.
“They offer an hourly wage, which is pretty cool, because DoorDash and Grubhub do not,” Walker says. “Without an hourly wage, I wouldn’t be able to drive for them.”
He says he also appreciates the local dispatchers.
“Having one-on-one interactions with the dispatchers is pretty important,” Walker says. “Not everything goes smoothly. Being able to have them help you through those types of situations is essential because otherwise you’re on your own out there and you don’t have all the answers.”
When he’s not driving for LoCo, Walker says he likes spending time with family, playing poker (he lived in Las Vegas and played poker professionally until age 28), and watching sports.
He says LoCo’s support of local restaurants is what separates the service from national delivery.
“I enjoy it,” Walker says. “It’s a good company to drive for.”